


Summer Fling

by Krashlyn



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-02-12 18:02:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2119524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krashlyn/pseuds/Krashlyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashlyn lives in a surfing town and meets a pretty girl who is there on vacation with friends...  Drama and fun to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ashlyn was between shifts. Trying to balance a cup of coffee in one hand as she searched for her phone with the other. She stood at the edge of the cross walk and waited for the light to change.

She strolled to work at her own pace- plenty of time to kill. She stopped and talked to the owner of a local bookstore and ran into two of her friends out to brunch along the main strip.

"Working today, Ash?"

"Sure am. One down and now I'm heading to the hut for the lunch/dinner crowd."

"Nice. Call us when you get out?"

"Definitely. See you guys later." She high-fived them both and dropped down her longboard to ride the rest of the way.

...

"Oh! Thank god you're here!" Rachel, one of her co-workers, and friend, greeted her with a hug.

"Everything okay?"

"Oh yea, I just didn't want to work with someone lame." She laughed and let go of the hug.

Ashlyn immediately got to work. Making cocktail upon frozen cocktail with no time in between. She would talk to the locals and tourists the same while she made each concoction. She really had it down to a science.

A girl sat at the bar in front of her as she was pouring two drinks.

"I'll be riiiiight with you." Ashlyn said without looking up. Perfecting the swirl of the drinks she was pouring before handing them to the guy who ordered them. He was from Ohio, far from the beach, and his wife wanted to come down for their anniversary.

"Happy Anniversary, guys!" Ashlyn raised her glass of water and took a sip before getting back to the girl in front of her.

The girl's back was to her as she asked her friends what they wanted.

Ashlyn just took a moment to rest and leaned on the bar with her chin on her hands as she waited for the girl to realize she was there.

"Um a Rum Runner and a..." One friend said.

"Dark and Stormy, please!" The other joined in.

The girl turned around to find Ashlyn waiting for her. Hazel eyes with a sneaky smile and a backward snap-back. Ashlyn smiled when the girl realized she had been waiting.

"I'm sorry." She apologized and blushed. Not taking her eyes off Ashlyn's. She shook her head to snap out of it and ordered. "Can I have a pina colada and a... ummm..." Her mind went blank- still looking in Ashlyn's eyes. _Shit. I forgot what they want._

Ashlyn smiled and leaned to the side so she could yell to the girl's friends. "Rum Runner and a Dark and Stormy, right?"

They turned and agreed and Ashlyn flashed the girl a smile before going to make them. She came back quickly with two bottles in one hand.

The girl was facing her friends again- making a face that expressed her embarrassment for forgetting their drinks. They smiled and motioned for her to turn around.

"Sorry." Ashlyn interrupted. "Can I see your ID please?" She asked.

"Sure." The girl looked down and opened her wallet, thankful she had the woman at the DMV retake her picture last time she renewed. She handed the ID to Ashlyn.

"Thanks." Ashlyn looked it over carefully.

"Do you need theirs too?" The girl asked. Trying to find any reason to continue to talk to the blond.

"No thanks... Alexandra. Here you go." She handed it back to her with a smile and brought up three glasses for the drinks.

Ali thought it was weird she only needed her ID but she didn't question it.

"What brings you to the beach today, Alexandra?"

That made Ali chuckle. "Its Ali, actually..."

"Oh... what brings you to the beach today, Ali?" Ashlyn smiled as she corrected herself but didn't look up from the drinks.

"I'm here with a few of my friends for the week."

"Very nice." Ashlyn looked up as she switched bottles and continued. "So... surfing, tanning, shopping?"

"Shopping- yes. Tanning- I'm trying." Ali laughed. "Surfing- I wish!"

"Have you ever been?" Ashlyn kept stealing glances as she continued on the cocktails.

"No, its on my to-do list though."

"You should do it this week. Its a great place to learn. Lots of secluded spots with variable waves and some great instructors."

"I'm guessing you surf?" Ali leaned closer.

"Every morning." Ashlyn smiled as she handed Ali the pina colada. She purposely finished her drink first so Ali could drink and talk.

"That's awesome. Where is a good place to take a lesson?"

"The best place is up Bayport Ave. It's called Golden Crest. You can tell them Ashlyn sent you- maybe they'll give you a discount."

"So can I assume you're Ashlyn?" Ali smiled.

That smile caught Ashlyn's eye- now her mind went blank. "Uh... yea! Sorry!" She wiped her hand on a bar towel. "Hi, Ali. I'm Ashlyn." She introduced herself and shook Ali's hand.

"Well its nice to meet you, Ashlyn." Ali's smile grew.

"Likewise." Ashlyn said, trying to remain smooth, something she never really had trouble with until right now. _That smile is incredible._ Ashlyn handed over the other two drinks. "Ok so, that's $16 please."

Ali narrowed her eyes. "But I got three drinks..." She started.

"I know." Ashlyn caught her eyes. "Your drink is on me."

Ali blushed. "Thank you." She said sincerely and smiled again. This time with a nose crinkle that made Ashlyn's heart skip a beat.

 _Oh. My. God._ Ashlyn thought to herself.

"You're welcome. Enjoy." She said and wished she could compose another question to keep Ali at the bar. But nothing was coming to her.

Ali tried to think of a way to keep the conversation going but she didn't know how. She was nervous for some reason. Something she never really felt before. She got up after paying and brought her friends their drinks and rejoined them.

...

The crowd was steady as usual and Ashlyn hardly had a chance to breathe, let alone sit down, until her break.

She walked down the planks in the opposite direction, toward the beach, and sat on the steps. Taking in the view of the sun setting over the ocean which never seemed to get old. She sat there for ten minutes and then decided to get back to work.

Three girls were walking toward her as she made her way back up. Ali and her two friends.

Ali breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her. She looked for Ashlyn when they left but she was nowhere to be found. She would hate herself if she didn't give it one more chance. But the relief was soon overpowered by nerves as she realized she still didn't know what to say.

Thankfully, Ashlyn was a talker.

"You girls took the beach here?" She smiled as they got closer.

"We did." Her one friend answered. "Its a nice walk."

"It definitely is. Be careful of the tide." She pointed out. "Its coming up."

"Thanks." Both friends said in unison as they passed- purposely leaving Ali behind.

Ali made sure to walk a little slower so she could be last anyway. "Thank you." She said as she came to a stop right next to Ashlyn.

"Sure." Ashlyn obliged, getting caught in those big, brown eyes.

"I mean for the drink and the surfing info." Ali continued, trying to hide her nervousness.

Ashlyn smiled. "The best time to go is between 6:00 and 9:00 am. No one in the water and best waves possible." Ashlyn added. "Promise me you'll go this week?"

"Okay."

"And promise you'll only go during that time?" She extended her hand for Ali to shake on it. 

"I promise." Ali said and shook it.

She wanted Ashlyn to ask for her number or... something. Anything. But nothing happened and Ali gave her a small smile before walking toward her friends.

"Oh hey, Ali..." Ashlyn turned around and called.

Ali faced her from the stairs with an inquisitive look. She waited for her to continue.

Ashlyn broke into a smile. "Happy Birthday." She said sincerely and winked.

Ali felt butterflies in her stomach. In her heart even. She wasn't sure how a gesture as simple as that- a cute girl noticing it was her birthday from her ID- could mean so much. But it did.

Ashlyn didn't wait for a response. She just waved and continued her walk up to the hut.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hard to do an Ash/Ali story w/o soccer! But I'm trying...

Ali walked into Golden Crest Surf Shop two days later. 7:00 am. Looking for a rental and a lesson.

They got her all set up and were super friendly about everything. 

"Um... I met this girl who said to mention she sent me?" Ali thought she would throw it out there.

"Who was it?" The guy at the counter asked as he made sure she signed all the correct paperwork.

"Ashlyn?" Ali said as she tried not to smile.

He looked up slowly and smiled. "Oh... Hang on a second." He picked up the phone and dialed an extension... "Hey. Could you come down here?"... "Thanks."

"Is everything okay?" Ali asked, now slightly nervous and confused.

"Of course." He closed the register and showed Ali to the seating area. "It'll just be a minute." He said before walking away to help another customer.

 _What the...?_ Ali was a little lost but sat down anyway. She was apprehensive but grabbed a surfing magazine to read as she waited. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, there she was...

Ashlyn.

"Birthday girl!" She beamed as she got closer. _Oh god. I'm so lame._ She cleared her throat and hoped Ali wouldn't notice.

"H-hey?" Ali said but it sounded more like a question.

"I see you're reading up already." Ashlyn looked down at the magazine.

Ali got flustered and put it down. Not sure why she was so nervous right now.

"Did they get you all set-up?" Ashlyn pressed on.

"Yea..." Ali said slowly. She decided to just go with it. "They said the changing rooms are in the back and I can meet my instructor up here when I'm ready."

Ashlyn laughed. "You don't have to get changed back there. Its so cramped. Come with me." She nodded her head to the side and started walking.

"Wait... so... do you work here?" Ali trailed behind her. Totally lost.

"Kinda."

"And at the beach hut?"

"Sometimes." Ashlyn was very vague about things.

She started up the spiral staircase. A sign clearly read "Employees Only" at the base.

"Am I allowed up there?" Ali paused.

"Yea." Ashlyn smiled and waited at the top.

"Are you sure?" Ali asked again when she got up there. "The sign said "Employees Only". I don't want to get you in trouble." She rambled.

"I promise it's okay." Ashlyn was very assuring and Ali was able to relax. "I make the rules." Ashlyn gave her a knowing look.

"Ohhh, okay." Ali smiled. "We have a rebel on our hands here, huh?" She teased.

Ashlyn shrugged her shoulders and let out a chuckle. "I mean, I'm _totally_ a rebel too but... I also literally make the rules." She had a proud smile on her face. "This is my shop."

Ali broke into a smile. "Really?" She asked. "As in- you own it?"

"I do." Ashlyn said simply, like it wasn't a big deal. "Part-owner really. My dad is the other owner."

"That's awesome." Ali said as she looked over the whole store. "This place is so cute."

"Cute? Ha ha." Ashlyn got a kick out of that. "I never heard someone call a surf shop 'cute'. Usually its like 'sick'... or 'rad'... or something."

"I mean... this place is so totally gnarly." Ali amused the idea and Ashlyn admired it.

They both laughed for a minute and shared a glance.

"That's better... I think?" Ashlyn teased and walked toward her office. "You can get changed in here. I'll meet you up front. Sound good?"

"Sure." Ali responded and Ashlyn closed the door behind her.

Ali took a minute to take it all in. An entire wall mural of surfers and waves and sunsets with palm trees. A Hawaiian print couch with white pillows and a white throw blanket. The "desk" was a surfboard, a longboard really, made of wood and glazed with a blueish stain.

The shades were closed and the lights on the ceiling were made from seaglass- one of Ali's favorite things. The rest was simple. A bamboo coffee table. A little counter in the back with a sink and coffee maker. A shelf with about twelve mugs- each one with a name on it.

Ali noticed she was observing the office and not getting changed and decided she should get on it. Her instructor was probably waiting.

...

"Hey Ty, I'm going to take your 7:00 today. Okay?"

Tyler, one of the instructors, turned to face her. "You sure?" He asked.

"Yea. I got it. Keep an eye on the place, would ya?" She playfully shouted over her shoulder and walked back inside to get changed.

...

Ali tried not to stare when Ashlyn walked up to her in her wetsuit, rolled down to her waist, her muscles jutting out above her hips.

"Ready?" Ashlyn smiled and Ali cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't you have instructors to teach lessons?" Ali asked curiously with a chuckle.

"I do." Ashlyn responded plainly.

"So why do you also teach lessons?" Ali pried a bit.

Ashlyn flashed her a smile. "I don't." She turned and walked toward the back. "You coming?" She called over her shoulder and again... Ali just went with it. Smiling.

...

They practiced on a bunch of waves and Ali stood up a decent amount of the time. Ashlyn made sure to let her know how well she was doing and she couldn't help but flirt with her a little bit too.

"You're a natural!" Ashlyn shouted as Ali popped back up after riding one in. She rode one to her and dropped off the back to paddle back out with Ali.

"Its because you're a good teacher." Ali was modest about most things. 

"The best in town!" Ashlyn was not-so-modest. She flashed Ali a smile before beginning to paddle back out.

...

They headed back up to the shop a couple hours later.

"That was awesome." Ali started along the way. "Thank you so much for teaching me."

"Oh no problem. It was fun. Haven't taught someone in a while." Ashlyn replied. So glad her plan worked.

She took the board from Ali and handed it to the guy tracking rentals and lessons before leading them inside. There was a brief moment of awkward silence between the two.

Normally this is where Ashlyn would step in and ask the girl out. But she was too nervous and unsure if that was something Ali would even be into.

"So uh... I had fun today." Ali started, cautiously.

"Sure thing." Ashlyn responded. "If you want to surf again- you know where to come." She smiled. _Oh my god, Ashlyn. Ask her to hang out! Now!_

"Oh!" Ali interrupted her thought when she realized something. "I didn't pay yet."

Ashlyn chuckled and shook her head. "No. You're good." She smiled.

"But... I didn't... pay." Ali said slowly, as if Ashlyn would understand better.

"I know." Ashlyn countered. "That's the point." She tried to gauge Ali's reaction but wasn't getting a good read on it. So she didn't press on.

"Okay." Ali blushed. She wanted to keep this going so she decided to be bold for once. "Well then, at least let me buy you lunch later?" She asked and clenched her teeth waiting for the answer.

Ashlyn looked down at her feet. _Is this girl actually asking me out?_ "I uh... I wish I could. But I can't. I'm sorry." She said regrettably.

 _Oh god, she has a girlfriend. Or she's not into girls. Or just not into me. Or... Fuck._ Ali back-pedaled. "I ummm- I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have-."

 _Oh... she really was asking me out. Holy shit!_ "No no! Don't be sorry!" Ashlyn tried to recover. "I'm sorry. I meant I can't **today**. I'm working at the hut from noon to six so..."

"Oh." Ali was embarrassed either way. "Okay, well. Maybe I'll see you around." She said. Defeated as she still kept her eyes on the ground and started to move toward the door.

Ashlyn couldn't help but smile at her insecurity. It actually restored her own confidence.

"How 'bout you meet me for a drink after?" She suggested. There was the old Ashlyn. "That is... if you can remember what you want to order." She teased.

Ali dropped her head and laughed before nodding and finally looking up. "I could do that." She said, holding back a smile, playing it off like it wasn't a big deal.

"Alright then, its a dat- wow, I'm **so** cheesy." Ashlyn caught herself and laughed.

Ali smiled with her. "No, you can say it." She teased.

"Its a date?" Ashlyn raised an eyebrow.

"Uh maybe." Ali shrugged playfully and turned toward the door. "See you at 6:00." She said over her shoulder with a mischevious smile and walked out.

Ashlyn stood there with a smile on her face. _Hot and a wise-ass. What am I getting myself into?_ She shook her head and headed to the showers.

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, its been a while. I lost interest in this story but now I have a new found love for it... and a new direction to take it in. You'll see...
> 
> More updates on more stories coming tomorrow...

Ali made sure to be fashionably late. She didn't want to seem too eager. Her friends pushed her out the door when they noticed her procrastinating. She needed this.

Ashlyn was already done by the time she got there. She was sitting on the customer side of the bar, talking to one of her co-workers when Ali walked up.

"Hey." Ali said shyly but played it off.

"Hi, Ali." Ashlyn got up and gave her a hug and said goodbye to the bartender. "Let's go?"

...

"Nice Jeep!" Ali beamed. She always had a thing for Jeeps. Her heart fluttered a bit. Ashlyn just scored a couple more points in her book.

"Oh, thanks." Ashlyn rushed over to the passenger door and opened it for Ali. "Let me get that for you." She obliged and it made Ali blush a little.

"I was thinking we'd go to a beach-side bar? Is that cool?"

"Sure. That sounds good." Ali agreed and they were off.

...

Ashlyn knew a few people on the walk through the bar and to their table. Girls mostly. And they were all pretty starry-eyed. But Ali knew this was a close-knit town in the off-season so she chalked it up to that.

"Does everyone here know everyone else here?" Ali laughed when the waitress went to get their drinks. Only after she said 'the usual, Ash?' with a wink.

Ashlyn's eyes landed on hers and then looked to the table between them.

"I uhhh... yea." She said slowly. "I guess so."

Ali was going to ask more but thought better of it. She shrugged it off.

"This place is one of my favorites." Ashlyn looked out over the water and took in the view- one that never got old.

"The view is sooo pretty." Ali stared over the ocean as well.

Ashlyn stole a glance at Ali from the corner of her eye and then looked back to the water with a smile.

"It sureee is." She lauded, mostly to herself.

...

Ashlyn turned on the charm all night. It was something that came easily to her and she had no hesitation in how she acted.

They ordered appetizers to share and a couple rounds of drinks.

They talked about how Ali's family vacations here every year. And how she decided her and her friends would start the tradition now too. She talked about how she always wished she could live somewhere like this town.

Ashlyn listened and asked questions too. She seemed interested. Not just in Ali but in what she was talking about. And she was a great conversationalist.

Ali felt special, like she was the only girl in the world.

That is... until they moved from the table to the bar area to sit.

There, Ashlyn was approached by girls on three separate occasions. One of those girls being their waitress. And Ashlyn took the time to talk with each of them while Ali just sat there. Ashlyn didn't include her or introduce her or anything.

Ali wasn't sure if she knew these girls or not. But they seemed awfully friendly with the blonde and it made Ali slightly uncomfortable. She couldn't help but wonder if Ashlyn was flirting with them.

This date had gone from good to bad pretty quickly.

Ali excused herself to the bathroom and she feared Ashlyn hardly noticed she was gone.

She took her time. Staring into the mirror wondering why she was here. She thought about leaving. This was not the night she expected and she did not want to be subjected to it any longer.

So... when she left the bathroom, instead of heading left- toward the bar and Ashlyn, she turned right- toward the exit.

"Ali?" She heard a voice from a few feet behind her and stopped dead in her tracks before slowly turning around.

Ashlyn... standing there with a discouraged look on her face. An innocent tone of question in her voice when she called Ali's name. Her whole demeanor had changed. She was no longer confident and cool- she seemed almost let-down.

Ali walked back to her slowly. Not quite feeling bad for almost leaving but feeling bad for getting caught.

"You're leaving?" Ashlyn asked. That innocent tone still thick in her voice.

 **Now** Ali felt bad for both. Maybe she had it wrong.

"No, no." She tried to think of something fast. "I just... thought I saw someone I knew."

Ali figured that was believable seeing as her family had made a ton of friends here over the years. She just hoped it didn't sound like a lie.

Ashlyn looked at her for a moment in silence and then reluctantly nodded her head up-and-down.

"Okay." Ashlyn said.

She really had no choice but to accept it right now. She didn't know Ali well enough to press the matter but she knew her just enough to know she was lying. Either way- she liked Ali too much to let her leave right now.

"Let's get another drink." Ali offered and made her way back toward Ashlyn.

"Actually..." Ashlyn thought about it. "Want to go somewhere else instead?"

Ali was relieved but tried to remain undetected. She certainly did not want to deal with those girls all night and she hoped this meant Ashlyn didn't either.

"Sure." She replied and they left.

...

Ali felt bad on the walk back to the Jeep. Maybe she had read the situation wrong. The look on Ashlyn's face when Ali was trying to leave was burned into her mind. She felt like she jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Ashlyn was assuming the worst. Maybe Ali ran into someone in the bathroom. Someone who said something about Ashlyn to scare her off. She couldn't help but let herself wonder. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal- but there was something different about Ali and Ashlyn didn't want to let her go.

...

Ashlyn jogged around to Ali's side of the car and opened her door when they arrived at their destination.

"This is more like it." Ashlyn grinned, trying to make the best of the rest of the night.

They were parked by a pier that lead down to a brightly lit ice cream stand at the end.

Ali had been here many times when she was younger. She remembered racing her brother every year. Winner got to order first.

She looked to Ashlyn and waited for her to meet her gaze. When she did, Ali smiled sincerely, trying to make up for before.

"I love this place." She said quietly, keeping eye contact.

Ashlyn felt the mood switch. She hoped for the better.

"Me too." She nodded and extended her hand for Ali to take.

She gave Ali a small smile as encouragement and watched as she placed her hand in Ashlyn's palm.

...

Ali had to admit- she felt like the only girl in the world again. When it was like this- it was good. She tried to push past the weirdness at the last place and enjoy the rest of their date.

It worked.

Ashlyn had her laughing pretty hard as they leaned over the railing at the end of the pier. Most of her ice cream had fallen into the ocean when she was flailing her arms to tell a story.

She wished she didn't just drop her entire dessert but it was a small price to pay to hear Ali's laugh. She was immediately determined to hear that laugh over and over again for the rest of the night.

Ali was becoming more comfortable with her. She hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and it felt good. Every now and then she would get a good laugh out of Ashlyn too- it was adorable. She felt herself pulling closer as the night went on.

"Want to see something cool?" Ashlyn asked with a grin when there was a break in the conversation.

Ali looked to her and couldn't help but smile back.

"Sure." She nodded. She easily trusted this girl.

...

They wandered for a bit down the street and then ducked down a side street. Eventually, Ashlyn stopped at a fence and turned to Ali.

"Technically, this is trespassing so... if you're not into that... speak now." She tried to give Ali the easy out if she wasn't comfortable.

But at this point, Ali was fully comfortable. She would likely follow Ashlyn anywhere right now.

"I'm good." Ali assured, much to Ashlyn's appreciation.

Ashlyn jumped the fence first and stood on the otherside to help Ali if she needed a hand.

Ali slipped a little when her feet landed and she pummeled into Ashlyn from close range. Thankfully, Ashlyn caught her.

The moonlight glistened in both their eyes as they held the embrace for a moment. Ashlyn was the first to pull away and Ali apologized for crashing into her but Ashlyn just waved it off. She certainly didn't mind.

"We have to be quiet." Ashlyn whispered and laced her fingers with Ali's before leading them down a path cut into the side of the hill. The beach down to their left but separated from them by the drop in terrain.

Ali's heart skipped a beat when Ashlyn held her hand.

Ashlyn's heart skipped a beat when Ali let her.

...

They walked along for a few minutes and came to another fence. They hopped it and Ashlyn was first to walk down a little stone stairway and along a wall. She stopped at the edge and looked around the corner.

Ali could see a glimmer of bright blue light on her face when she did so.

"Okay." She stood straight and walked around the edge. "We're all clear."

She walked out of sight and Ali followed. She was growing more suspicious as the time went on. Hopping fences and trespassing were not things Ali normally did. But for some reason she felt like she could with Ashlyn.

But when she rounded the corner she realized it was all worth it. A huge wall of bright, blue water. Fish and small sharks slowly darting back-and-forth between coral and plants and each other.

On the other side of this wall of water, was an aquarium. Closed for the night but this particular tank was bright enough to light up the whole area.

Ali was in awe. She was not expecting this from their adventure. It was so beautiful- she hadn't even found the words to react yet.

She slowly walked to the wall of water and stood in front of it. Her eyes wide and a smile on her face as she reached out and put her hand on the glass.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ashlyn broke her out of her trance.

"Yea, its awesome." Ali replied but kept her eyes on the fish.

Ashlyn walked up behind her, as close as possible without touching yet, and pointed around her to a passing fish.

"That's a goosefish." She said quietly into Ali's ear.

Ali nodded along.

Ashlyn pointed around her on the other side to another fish. Now she was conveniently hugging Ali from behind.

"That's a yellow tang." She said in the same voice as before. It was almost seductive.

Ali breathed in the words and closed her eyes for a second, trying to compose herself. Her heartbeat had quickened already. She nodded again and opened her eyes.

"And THAT..." Ashlyn exclaimed as a jellyfish shot up right in front of them, startling Ali as she stumbled backward into Ashlyn. "Is a crazy jellyfish!"

Ashlyn laughed and caught Ali in her arms, though it wasn't entirely necessary, seeing as she was only a couple inches behind her. But Ali seemed to fit perfectly in her arms. Absolutely perfect.

"Sorry." Ali mumbled, slightly embarrassed at falling into Ashlyn. She pulled back and turned slightly to face her with a shy smile.

"Its okay." Ashlyn replied softly, almost a whisper.

Their eyes locked and Ashlyn waited for the sign to go ahead, though, she wouldn't mind staring into those eyes a bit longer.

And then there was the sign...

Ali's eyes involuntarily dropped to Ashlyn's lips. She stared at them and slightly parted her own. She only realized what she was doing when she noticed the corners of Ashlyn's mouth pull into a smile.

She looked back up to Ashlyn's eyes and could see the smile had spread. The hands that caught her rested softly on her hips as Ashlyn leaned closer. Slowly taking one step forward so Ali's back was to the huge fish-tank.

The second Ali's back softly pressed to the glass, Ashlyn kissed her. Once softly and slowly to gauge it. Then a second time, still slowly but lingering to make sure. And then the third time- the most important one. The kiss that would make Ali addicted to her.

Hook, line, and sinker.

...


	4. Chapter 4

They kissed for a while. Neither one wanting to stop. When one would pull away the other would move with her and pick back up. It was passionate and heated and spiraling closer to something more.

Ashlyn's plan had worked. Ali was addicted already.

But Ashlyn wasn't sure how she got herself addicted at the same time. She tried to snap herself out of it... It was way too soon to feel anything more than lust right now. That was all she usually felt anyway.

She tried to get back on track when she realized her hands were still respectfully placed on Ali's hips. _What would I normally do in this situation?_

Ali noticed a turning point in the whole interaction right then...

Ashlyn's hands left their spot on Ali's hips and wandered under the hem of her shirt. Ali faltered slightly in the kiss but fought to find her niche again.

Ashlyn kept going. There was no way she would pass up a chance on a girl like this.

But Ali hesitated again when Ashlyn's hands slid further. She was nervous.

"Is this okay?" Ashlyn asked but it wasn't really a question- purely a statement to pretend she cared about Ali's feelings as she continued anyway.

Ali was nervous. This was going in a different direction than she intended and she isn't "that kind of girl". But she liked Ashlyn a lot... and Ashlyn was a really goood kisser. So she convinced herself she could handle a little touch.

But then, Ashlyn's thumbs slowly slipped under the wire of Ali's bra. Just a bit. Proving her intentions.

Okay... Ali could handle a lot of touch, as long as it was partially clothed.

Ashlyn undid the button of Ali's shorts with one hand. It was almost unnoticable until Ali felt the back of Ashlyn's knuckles against her navel. Slowly sliding down.

Maybe Ali was in over her head. She stiffened.

Ashlyn stopped when she felt Ali's stomach muscles tense. She thought about it for a second and then, surprisingly, even to herself, she retracted her hand and stopped the kiss.

Ali immediately missed that kiss. She didn't want to do more on the first date but now she wished she could rewind and not tense up. It was too late now.

"Sorry." Ali mumbled. A little embarrassed.

Ashlyn only nodded as she stepped back. She was not used to this.

The second Ali saw her move away, she back-pedaled. She hoped she didn't just ruin everything.

"I was just nervous. Its okay." She said and pulled Ashlyn's hand back to her. Hoping to pick-up where they left off. Hoping she didn't just screw up the whole night. Realizing if that was the only way she could have Ashlyn- maybe it was okay to stray from her morals this one time.

Ashlyn held her ground though. Unsure what do to in this situation. Girls never reject her or have second thoughts. This was... different.

When Ashlyn resisted, Ali felt even worse. 

"I... um..." Ali searched for words, looking down at her feet now. She was now visibly worried and nervous.

Ashlyn watched and for some reason, it broke her heart when she realized Ali was so nervous. Vulnerable. It was obvious Ali was **not** "that kind of girl". It was obvious Ali had no idea Ashlyn was.

Now Ashlyn felt bad as she realized she was probably pressuring her. Another thing she never felt before- bad for something. But something in her heart already gave-in for this girl- there was no sense in fighting it now.

"Its okay..." Ashlyn said, reassuringly.

Ali looked up quickly, not expecting that, and was met with a small smile.

"I just... its the first date and I hardly know you and things were moving kind of fast and..." Ali rambled on, unsure of herself.

Ashlyn wasn't one to slow down. She never had to before- girls were usually pushing for more. Asking for more. Begging for more.

She recycled girls. It was just part of who she was. She made them feel special, gave them what they wanted, took them on a couple dates, and then she recycled them. Gained a pretty strong reputation as a heart-breaker, never really committing to anyone.

And although most girls fell into her charming, little trap- that wasn't how she intended things to be. She always told girls from the beginning she wasn't looking for a committment. They always said they understood. They never really did.

"We can slow things down." Ashlyn interrupted softly and kissed her again.

She had to kiss Ali to hide the surprised look on her own face. _Did I actually just say that?_

They easily fell back into the rhythm of the kiss and continued almost where they left off.

Ashlyn was totally getting lost in it. She had to consciously keep her hands in check. Something about this girl was so irresistable. She couldn't get enough.

Ali didn't mean to, but she let out a little sigh of pleasure mid-kiss and smiled against Ashlyn's lips when she realized it. She then nudged Ashlyn to keep going but Ashlyn pulled back a little to look her in the eyes.

That smile. Those eyes. That laugh... Ashlyn felt something fluttering in her stomach.

"What?" Ali asked with a quizzical grin when Ashlyn pulled away.

Ashlyn held back a smile but it cracked through anyway. She shook her head as if to say "nothing." But Ali was onto her.

"What?" Ali asked again, almost as a whine but with a smile.  


Ashlyn just stared down at her and took in her beauty- Ali's eyes on her lips. She totally spaced out until Ali's big, brown eyes looked up and into her own.

Ashlyn cocked a sideways smile and exhaled sharply.

"I think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Ashlyn said as she shook her head back-and-forth with that same smile.

She looked down to her feet when she realized what she had just said. It kind of just came out when she was thinking it.

Ali was flattered. And surprised to see Ashlyn had a shy side. Possibly a romantic side too.

"I bet you say that to _all_ the girls." Ali teased, not knowing the weight of her words.

Ashlyn tried not to let her smile drain as she looked up but Ali noticed.

Before Ali could say anything, Ashlyn took a step back.

"We should go." She said kind of abruptly, trying to keep the smile plastered on her face.

Ali wanted to ask her about it. She wanted to ask if she had said something wrong but she felt she had no place. She hardly knew Ashlyn- she didn't want to push it.

"Okay." Ali said hesitantly and grabbed Ashlyn's outstretched hand.

...

The walk back to the car was mostly silent.

Ali wondered what she said wrong. Maybe Ashlyn didn't get her sense of humor. Maybe she didn't know it was a joke. Maybe she was mad Ali wanted to slow things down.

Ashlyn spent the whole time walking to the Jeep lost in her own thoughts. She had never told a girl she was beautiful before. Hot was a common term. Sexy too... but not beautiful. And if Ashlyn was to be honest, Ali was all three.

Ashlyn had never thought any of that about any girl before. But she definitely meant it when she just said it to Ali.

She was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen before.

...

They made small talk on the ride back.

Ali wasn't ready for the date to be over but it seemed that was the case.

Ashlyn walked her to the door of the place Ali rented with her friends.

"I had a really good time tonight." Ali said and then rolled her eyes at how cliche she sounded.

Ashlyn chuckled at that. _This girl has no idea how captivating she is._

"So did I." Ashlyn started. "But..."

Ali knew that was coming. She knew something was wrong.

 _But..._ She nodded with a sad smile.

"But... I don't want this to be goodbye." Ashlyn continued. "Can I see you again? Like... soon?"

Ashlyn didn't care if she seemed eager. There was definitely something different about Ali. Something compelling and endearing and it drew her in so strongly. There was definitely something different about her. There was no going back now.

Ali broke into a surprised (but flattered) smile. 

"Y-yea." She nodded with a grin that made Ashlyn smile too.

"Cool." Ashlyn said quietly as she pulled up closer, almost shyly, to Ali. "Can I take you to lunch?" She asked. Not wanting to keep her from her friends two nights in a row.

Ali nodded. "Sure." She smiled.

"Pick you up tomorrow at 1:00?" Ashlyn whispered as she leaned closer.

Ali nodded again. "Sounds good."

"Well then..." Ashlyn said quietly and with a smile. "Goodnight, Ali."

And with that she closed the gap between them, pressing a lingering kiss to Ali's lips before reluctantly heading back to her car.

...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the update. I really like where this one is going. Obviously more to come ;)
> 
> As promised, I'm updating The Other Side next so look for that tomorrow-ish.
> 
> And... I'm working on a new one. It will be the same kind of angst that was in my story- For What Its Worth. Can you guys handle it? Let me know.

The next morning, Ali's friends were up before she was. They sneakily made their way into her room and jumped on the bed to wake her.

"Oh my god! Ahhh!" Ali yelled and covered herself with the blankets to hide from them.

"Get up. Get up. Get uppp!" Erin sing-songed as she pulled at the covers.

"Tell us about your night!" Steph added.

"Nooo!" Ali whined and buried herself further under the covers. She wanted to sleep in a bit today.

Her friends made it impossible to do so. Pulling the covers away from her, stealing her pillow, tickling her until she fell off the bed- she eventually gave up.

"Fine!" She laughed when she flopped back onto the bed.

"Okay, tell us everything." Erin pressed.

"We got drinks and then ice cream. And then walked around a bit. And then we hopped a fence and hung out at the aquarium. And then she drove me home." Ali shortened it and did her best to hide a smile.

"Yea... but what did you guys _do_?" Steph pressed the matter.

"What do you mean?" Ali asked, a little confused what Steph was getting at.

"Did you guys hook-up?" Erin asked flat-out.

"What?!" Ali laughed hard. "Guys, I just met the girl!" She argued her point.

"Wait... so you didn't?" Steph asked incredulously.

"No." Ali narrowed her eyes. "When have I ever slept with someone on the first date?"

"Yea... but she-"

"Is really hot." Erin interrupted Steph mid-sentence and gave her a glare.

Steph gave her a weird look. That wasn't what she was going to say but she soon caught on to why Erin jumped in. Unfortunately, for Ali, she didn't catch onto the look between her two friends.

"She is." Ali cracked a smile and then tried to fight it. "She asked me to lunch today." She mumbled with rosy cheeks.

When her friends didn't respond after a moment, Ali looked up to find surprised faces.

"What?" She asked, wondering why a second date seemed unbelievable to them.

"Nothing." Erin tried to cover it up. "Just... that was fast." She lied.

"I guess." Ali shrugged but didn't think much of it. "But we're only here for a short time so I guess it kind of has to be."

She wondered what this all meant. Where things would or could go. If Ashlyn was just having some summer fun or if it meant more.

To Ali, it had potential for more. She felt something different about this one. She just wasn't sure what it was.

Unfortunately, Ali's friends knew a little more than Ali did about her new crush. Something they initially opted not to tell her.

...

"So... did you go out with that girl last night?" Ashlyn's friend, Kelley, asked when they met for coffee the next morning.

"I did." Ashlyn nodded and took a sip, providing no more info.

"How was it?" Kelley pried, as only a best friend should.

"Good. We got drinks and ice cream. Hung out. You know." Ashlyn usually kept things vague unless pressed otherwise. She didn't want to brag.

"You know what I meant." Kelley chuckled.

Ashlyn just narrowed her eyes at her friend.

Kelley rolled her eyes and dropped her head back, annoyed Ashlyn was not answering her real question. She knew Ashlyn knew what she meant.

"How was _she_?" Kelley clarified.

"Oh..." Ashlyn nodded along, seemingly getting what Kelley was aiming at. "She was nice. Incredibly good looking. Smart AND funny. And a little bit of a wise-ass." 

She went back to her coffee. But after a moment of silence, she looked up. She knew Kelley was likely on to her.

Kelley was giving her a surprised glare, her jaw slightly dropped. She spoke after processing it for a moment.

"You didn't sleep with her." Kelley didn't ask, she stated it. She was completely shocked.

Ashlyn looked down to her coffee and took another sip, letting her eyes slowly rise to meet Kelley's mid-drink and give her a guilty look.

"Oh my god!" Kelley whispered as loud as she could.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and then looked down. Slightly embarrassed at how big of a deal Kelley was going to make of this.

"Did you get shut-down finally?" Kelley asked, seemingly excited if that were to be the case.

"No." Ashlyn scoffed.

Kelley raised an apprehensive eyebrow, urging Ashlyn to elaborate.

"I didn't want to." Ashlyn shrugged. "Okay?"

Kelley just continued to give her the shocked grin from before. This was different.

"What?!" Ashlyn whined.

"Nothing." Kelley mused and let Ashlyn go back to drinking her coffee. _Except you always sleep with the girls you take out._ She chuckled to herself.

Ashlyn debated telling her more but decided there was no point keeping it from her best friend.

"I'm taking her to lunch today." She mumbled quietly.

But Kelley heard it... and nearly choked on her drink. She had to take a moment to recover from coughing up her latte.

When she was good again, she stared at Ashlyn with a shit-eating grin.

"What?" Ashlyn asked shortly.

"Its just..." Kelley tried to keep her smile in check. "You don't normally do that." Kelley pointed out needlessly.

"So...?" Ashlyn narrowed her eyes.

"Does this mean..." Kelley trailed off.

"No." Ashlyn answered before she could go on. "It doesn't mean anything." 

Ashlyn's answer was pointed. So pointed Kelley didn't push for another question.

But Kelley still thought it meant something.

...

"How do I look?" Ali asked as she walked out by the pool where her friends were sitting.

Erin raised an eyebrow and stared.

"Wow." Steph sat up and pulled down her sunglasses.

"What?" Ali asked, a little confused why they seemed so surprised.

"You look... great." Erin said slowly. 

"So why are you looking at me like that?" Ali was nervous about why her friends were staring at her.

"Do you... like her? Like _really_ like her?" Steph asked, though based on the amount of effort she put into getting ready, Steph didn't need to ask.

"I mean..." Ali thought about it. "I just met her. But from what I've seen so far... yea." She said, most of it through a mumble.

Erin looked to Steph. They shared the same thought. _Maybe we should tell her._

But before they could say a word- the doorbell rang.

And then Ali was gone.

...

"I just wanted her to have some fun." Erin reasoned.

"Me too." Steph agreed. "She lost her spark after the whole Kristen thing and I just wanted her to let loose last night."

"I know." Erin groaned in commiseration. 

"If she gets hurt..." Steph trailed off.

"I know." Erin agreed again. "...Maybe this wasn't a good idea." 

They shared a glance of agreement. They wanted Ali to have fun last night. They wanted it to be a one time thing. Let her have her fun and ease up a bit. 

They hoped they didn't just set her up to get her heart broken all over again.

...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer Fling won the vote by a long-shot (at least by the time I started writing the update) so here it is.
> 
> Update 1 of 2 for this story tonight. Update 2 coming in a minute.
> 
> Get ready- these two chapters wrote themselves.

Ashlyn brought her flowers. Lilies.

"They're beautiful." Ali smiled.

"Just like you." Ashlyn leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

...

Lunch with Ashlyn consisted of sandwiches and coffee at a little corner cafe. Which is exactly what Ali was craving so it was perfect.

It felt different than when they were at the bar last night. Ashlyn's attention seemed to only be on Ali and that's how Ali liked it.

Ashlyn seemed a little more involved too. Asking more questions. Telling more stories. Like she was really trying to get to know Ali better.

"Well, that was fun... again." Ali smiled as they walked back to Ashlyn's Jeep.

Ashlyn let out a soft chuckle and agreed.

"Do you want to... ah never-mind." Ashlyn mumbled the last part.

"What?" Ali smiled and pushed her arm playfully.

"No, never-mind." Ashlyn waved it off. "I don't want to keep you from your friends."

The truth is... Ashlyn didn't care if she kept Ali from her friends or not. But she didn't want Ali to know that. She wanted Ali to think she was being nice.

"I can stay for a little while." Ali raised an eyebrow.

"You sure?" Ashlyn asked.

"Yea, they're probably just sitting by the pool anyway. I'm not missing much." Ali reasoned.

They come down here every so often anyway so it wasn't like she was ditching on a special trip. The main purpose was her birthday celebration and they already did that the other night so she was free.

And her friends were the ones who pushed her to meet up with Ashlyn the first time.

"Okay. Cool." Ashlyn replied and opened the car door for her. "Want to come to my place and go to the beach?"

Ali smiled easily. "Sure."

...

They hung out at the beach for about an hour and then walked back up to Ashlyn's little beach cottage. It was meticulously maintained, perfectly clean, and tastefully decorated but it still had an authentic beach-house vibe, which Ali loved.

They sat on the back patio and listen to some music while the waves crashed in the background. Ashlyn offered to make some margaritas and bring out snacks. Ali was all for it and Ashlyn said she would be right back.

Ali decided to call her friends and let them know she was coming back later than expected but they were still on for dinner and going out later.

"I'll be back in time, I swear." Ali promised Erin.

"Al..." Erin thought maybe she should mention what she and Steph already knew.

Just then, Ashlyn walked out with a tray of two margaritas, two glasses of water, and a plate of snacks. With her free hand she tried to clear off the patio table but the tray didn't look too steady.

"I have to go. See you in a bit." Ali rushed off the phone and went to help clear the table.

The last thing she heard was... "Just be careful."

It wasn't a warning for her safety. It was a warning for her heart. But Ali didn't really process what she said before she hung up.

"Here, let me get that." Ali said, placing a hand on the small of Ashlyn's back as she pushed a few things to the side for Ashlyn to put down the tray.

It was an endearing gesture and Ashlyn felt something when Ali did that, though she's not sure what it was.

"Thanks." She smiled as she rested the tray finally. "One for me... and one for you."

She handed Ali a drink and the clanked glassed before taking a sip.

...

Two margaritas later... Ashlyn was sitting close, her arm around Ali's shoulders as she listened to her story about Kyle running away from home when he was seven because Ali ate the last of the cookies.

But Ashlyn was only half-listening. She found Ali's mumble enticing. and her beauty was beyond words. She didn't notice she was just staring at her until Ali snapped her out of it.

"Whatcha looking at?" Ali asked boldly when she noticed Ashlyn was completely spaced out.

The way she said it, the smile on her lips, the small distance between her and Ashlyn. It was all too much for Ashlyn to resist.

She leaned in and captured Ali's lips in a searing kiss.

...

Ashlyn was good for the most part- consciously trying to remember to keep her hands in check. But after a while of Ali inadvertently pulling her closer, Ashlyn let her self-control falter.

When Ali grabbed her by the collar of her t-shirt and pulled her in, Ashlyn took that as a signal to go ahead.

She moved Ali to lay down on the lounger and leaned between her legs, all without breaking the kiss. Ali was caught up and hardly even registered the change- Ashlyn worked that smoothly.

And a few minutes later when Ashlyn leaned up to pull her own shirt off, Ali got caught up again- in her muscles and her tattoos and the freckles on her shoulders. The grin on her face. The softness of her hands on Ali's sides.

And then Ashlyn's hands slipped under the hem of Ali's sundress. Slowly pushing it upward to her ribs. Ali didn't mind. This much had already happened last night. Except last night it was a shirt and not a dress.

But when Ashlyn pushed it up further and then pulled it carefully off- Ali just let it happen. 

Ashlyn tossed it over her head and gave Ali the once over with her eyes before leaning back onto her and dropping kisses to her neck.

Which turned into little nips and licks on her neck. Which then turned to kisses trailing down to Ali's collar bone, her chest, along the edge of Ali's bikini top.

Ashlyn didn't think anything of it. This is what she did with girls. It was normal to move this fast.

And Ali certainly wasn't complaining either. 

But that all changed when Ashlyn reached for the ties of Ali's bathing suit. She stiffened again. Just like last night.

Ashlyn stilled her hand in its place but didn't remove it.

"Not that kind of girl." Ali whispered, somewhat teasingly. But just saying it made Erin's words echo in her head. _Just be careful..._

"Want to move inside instead?" Ashlyn asked. Her tone a little more harsh than intended.

Ashlyn's neighbor's homes weren't too close but close enough that someone could see. Especially since it was 4:00 in the afternoon. She could see why Ali wouldn't want to do this out here.

"Um..." Ali tried to think of a better way to put it. "I'm not going to sleep with you, if that's what you're getting at." 

She felt almost guilty for saying it. Not that she had a reason to be.

Ashlyn would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by Ali's confession. She was pretty sure that was where this was heading. Pretty sure that was what Ali wanted right now too. At least, it seemed that way until she said something.

"Okay..." Ashlyn replied slowly and sat back. "Do you want me to drive you back then?" She asked, assuming Ali knew her ways and confused as to what she was expecting.

Ali was taken aback by that abrupt comment.

"I mean... if you want to?" She narrowed her eyes. 

For some reason, she felt incredibly drawn to Ashlyn. Like she wanted to learn everything there was to know about her. But she wasn't going to go against her own morals regardless. She had done so before and the result was never satisfying. 

She just wanted to get to know her.

Unfortunately, Ashlyn didn't really do the get-to-know-you thing. No one was ever worth the time and patience it took. At least, no one yet.

"Isn't that what you want?" Ashlyn was thoroughly confused. _Maybe this girl doesn't know?_

"Honestly..." Ali started and sighed. "No."

That got Ashlyn's attention. She met Ali's eyes again.

_What I want is for you to take me to your room, push me onto the bed, show me a good time. But... I like you more than that. I like myself more than to do that two days after I met you._

Ashlyn looked on as gears were turning in Ali's brain. She raised an encouraging eyebrow and Ali continued.

“What I want is to get to know you. I like you - thats obvious. But I want to know you.” Ali replied confidently. 

She was stronger than other girls Ashlyn had been with. More intelligent. Ali was a girl who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to let it be known.

Ashlyn couldn’t help but find it incredibly attractive. Something that surprised her.

“But for right now…” Ali leaned toward her. “I want to keep kissing you.”

Ashlyn was in a trance. She closed the gap instantly.

…

“So…” Ashlyn said as she put her Jeep in park in Ali’s driveway. “Can I see you again?” She asked.

She was determined.

“Definitely.” Ali replied with a cute smile. Finally feeling like she might have a bit of the upper-hand now.

“I’m having a little party at my place tomorrow night. You and your friends should come.” Ashlyn offered and waited for Ali to agree before she hopped out to open her door.

"Cool." Ashlyn said as she took Ali's hand and let her hop down. "See you tomorrow night then." 

She leaned to give Ali a kiss. It was passionate and heated and hard to break away from but she managed after a minute or so.

"Uh huh." Was all Ali managed before Ashlyn pulled away, leaving her wanting more.

"I'm sorry if I pressured you before." Ashlyn apologized.

She wasn't sure why she felt she had to but the words came spilling out of her mouth.

"This is kind of new to me." She added. Meaning the whole taking it slow thing. Ali took it as Ashlyn didn't date too much. She found it cute, endearing. 

If she only knew.

"And I want to get to know you too." That was the line that set Ali's head spinning with hope.

Maybe she didn't have the upper-hand.

...


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's one of my stories w/o a little bit of drama?

"I can handle myself! Thank you!" Ali snipped when Erin and Steph told her they weren't so sure of Ali hanging out with this girl.

They both decided it was best not to tell her what they knew. Because it would only prove they set Ali up for a one night stand. And what kind of friends would do that? They would likely cause a fight and put a damper on the week.

They decided it was best to try and divert her in different ways and keep her away from Ashlyn.

But Ali was set. Something about this girl was so compelling there was no way she could ignore it.

And she didn't like her friends trying to convince her otherwise when they didn't even know the girl. She wished she had never told them any of the details because now they seemed to be against the whole idea.

"Fine." Steph resigned with her hands up in the air. _Suit yourself._

...

The ride to dinner was a little tense but things eased up once they were out and then all three girls were back to normal. They met up with two of their other friends before grabbing a table.

Wine was flowing throughout the meal and it was sure to be a great night.

After dinner they went to a nearby beach bar where they hoped to dance and enjoy the rest of the night.

They claimed some space on the back patio and hung out, talking to some guys, doing some shots, fully celebrating their vacation.

...

The night went on and they were fully into the drink by now.

"Hey..." Erin nudged Steph and pointed to the other side of the bar. "Isn't that the girl?" 

"Yea." Steph whispered and they both looked to Ali and then looked away quickly. 

Unfortunately for them, Ali noticed.

She turned to find it was indeed Ashlyn, seemingly flirting with another girl whose hand was holding her wrist as she laughed. Ali felt an immediate pang of jealousy. She knew she had no right, but she couldn't help but feel hurt.

What she didn't know- was why she was now walking over to Ashlyn to confront her.

"Ali!" Steph reached for her arm to stop her but Erin blocked it.

"She can handle herself, remember?" She mimicked as the two of them looked on.

"Who is that?" Jessie, one of the friends they met up with, asked.

"Just some girl." Steph answered bitterly.

"Oh..." Jessie accepted that answer. "She's hot. Ali should pursue that." She winked and turned back to conversation with some other people.

...

Ali walked right up behind Ashlyn and froze.

 _What am I doing? What am I going to say?_ She asked herself. _Oh god, walk away._

But it was too late... the other girl noticed her and raised an eyebrow, causing Ashlyn to turn around.

The shit-eating grin on Ashlyn's face wiped right off when she saw who was standing there.

Ali, with her arms at her sides, confusion and nervousness all over her face, caught like a deer in headlights.

"Heyyy." Ashlyn's jaw dropped slightly. "H- hi." 

This was the last person she was expecting to see tonight. And she's pretty sure Ali saw more than she intended for her to.

Ashlyn jumped up out of her seat and the girl she was talking to rolled her eyes at Ali before turning around.

That was all Ali needed to snap back to reality.

"I have to go." She said abruptly and turned to walk away.

"Ali, wait!" Ashlyn called after her, not expecting Ali to listen.

But for some reason... she did. She stopped and waited but didn't turn to face her.

"Its not what it looks like." Ashlyn explained. 

"Its none of my business." Ali offered. And it wasn't her business but she expected more and it just hurt to have that shot right down.

"I don't- she's just some girl my friends know." Ashlyn lied. She had all intentions on hooking up with that girl tonight.

And she could... she wasn't officially dating anyone. But it sure sucked to be in Ali's shoes and Ashlyn knew it.

"Its not what it looked like, I swear." Ashlyn's not sure why she cares enough to cover it up but she does.

She doesn't want Ali to walk away. She knows if she does she won't see her again.

"You weren't just flirting with her?" Ali asked needlessly.

"No... well, I mean, maybe. But I promise nothing more was going to happen." She didn't sound convincing at all. Not even to herself. 

"I should have listened when my friends warned me." Ali jabbed.

"What? They don't even know me!" Ashlyn pointed in the direction of Ali's table.

"Looks like they were still spot on." Ali bit out and pulled away.

Ashlyn knew this was the end if she let her go. She had to get her to stop or give up on her completely. She just went for it.

"I played soccer all my life. High school, travel, UNC." She shouted to Ali right before she disappeared around the corner.

Ashlyn saw her stop and decided to go on.

"I have... well my parents have... a dog, named Callie. She's a Shepherd/Lab mix and she's really sweet."

"What are you doing?" Ali asked angrily before Ashlyn could go any further.

"You wanted to get to know me. I'm telling you." She replied cautiously, innocently.

Ali exhaled slightly and softened up a bit at that. The fact Ashlyn kept in mind what Ali said before had to stand for something, right?

There was a moment of silence. At least, between the two of them, because the bar was crazy busy. They were out of sight of Ali's friends now too which was a relief to both Ali and Ashlyn. 

But Ali still didn't reply.

"And I like you too." Ashlyn offered quietly.

_Time to go in for the kill._

"I'm sorry if I ruined your night." She finished with a sad smile and slowly turned to rejoin her friends.

"Wait..."

She heard softly from behind her and fought hard to hide a smile when she turned back around.

"You didn't ruin my night." Ali gave in.

Ashlyn simply nodded and left the next move up to Ali.

"Tell me more about Callie." Ali gave her a half-smile and walked back over.

...

They had been talking for a while. The usual getting to know each other things, other than what they already knew. And Ashlyn completely forgot about the other girl.

She didn't think "getting to know" Ali was boring like she usually did with other girls. She was actually... interested. She kept Ali's eye contact and made sure to interact, though it was easy and comfortable with this girl anyway.

Ashlyn was surprised with herself.

"Oh my god..." They heard someone coming up behind them.

Ashlyn knew that voice. This could go one of two ways.

"If it isn't my favorite person in the world." A girl came over and jumped into Ashlyn's lap, wrapped her up in a tight hug, and kissed her cheek.

Any other night it would have been fine but tonight was bad timing. Ashlyn stiffened and the girl noticed. Had she not had a few drinks, she would have noticed before she jumped Ash's lap.

Ali just looked on. 

"Um..." Ashlyn cleared her throat. "Kelley, this is Ali. Ali, this is Kelley... my best friend."

Kelley immediately hopped off of Ash's lap and apologized once she heard the name.

"Ali, its nice to meet you." She tried to play it cool but she definitely gave Ali a once-over and a sly smile as she shook her hand.

Ali noted it but pretended not to realize for now.

"We still on for the Surf Expo tomorrow morning?" Ashlyn asked, noting Kelley's tipsy-ness.

"Oh for sureee." Kelley slapped her back and waved to their group of friends across the bar.

"Alright." Ashlyn chuckled as Kelley made her way over to the friends.

Ali gave Ashlyn an amused smile when she turned back.

"What?" Ashlyn asked with a smile, glad Kelley didn't say something about how she thought Ali was "different".

Ali debated whether or not to ask, but decided against it. She wanted to believe the look Kelley gave her was for what she hoped it was. She wanted to believe Kelley gave her a look that mean "so you're the one she's been talking about".

"Nothing." Ali shrugged.

"Yea, okay." Ashlyn replied with a sarcastic smile and nudged Ali with her elbow but decided to let it go.

...

"I should probably let you get back to your friends." Ashlyn said after the third time one of them took the long-way to get a drink, purposely passing the two to check up on Ali. 

But Ali hadn't noticed. She was deep in conversation... and in the drinks from before.

Ali looked to the ceiling in deep pondering and then a smile broke through as she directed her eyes back to Ashlyn. She scrunched her face in a smile and shook her head in defiance.

"No?" Ashlyn chuckled.

Erin and Steph still weren't exactly on Ali's best side. She decided they could sweat it out while she proved herself to be right about being able to handle herself.

She was enjoying her time with Ashlyn and wasn't ready to give it up.

Ashlyn's not sure if she's ever talked to a girl for this long, aside from her friends. She's amazed at how she doesn't want the night to end.

...

Kelley comes back over and says her goodbyes a bit later.

"Leaving already?" Ashlyn asks as she stands to hug her best friend.

"Already?" Kelley scoffs, now completely sober. "I've been here almost two hours." She chuckles and heads out after once again telling Ali it was nice to meet her.

"Two hours, shit!" Time had completely escaped Ashlyn without her even noticing. "I should really go. I have to get up pretty early."

"Sure, yea." Ali nods and then thinks of an idea. Or maybe it was the alcohol talking. "Want to share a cab?" She asks with crooked smile.

Ashlyn takes in her glance for a moment before responding.

"I drove, actually." Ashlyn raises an eyebrow. "Want a ride?"

Ali nods once and they head toward her friends. Ashlyn simply waves to her group to say goodbye. She's not interested in letting this girl out of her sight.

"Hey guys!" Ali interrupts her group of friends and whoever they were talking to. "This is Ashlyn. She's going to drive me home."

She says without slurring and heads to the bar to close her tab.

Ashlyn feels at least two pairs of eyes on her a little longer than she appreciated. She can either ignore it, ask what their problems are, or kill them with kindness.

She chooses the latter, in hopes to increase her chances with their friend.

"I'm having a party tomorrow night. You guys should all come." She offers and the two friends who met them out nod along easily. The other two, not so much.

Ashlyn figured that would be the case. She waits for Ali to start walking back toward them to add her last line.

"If you do, maybe then you can make your own assumptions about what I'm like. Instead of believing what you hear around town." She says so only Erin and Steph can hear.

She waves goodnight to them all and says she'll get their friend home safely, before taking a few steps to intercept Ali on her walk back.

"I'll see you guys when you get home!" Ali waves with a big smile and lets Ashlyn lead her to the exit.

"Um... goodnight?" Steph finally says.

Erin is still speechless from Ashlyn's comment. She got them good and they knew it.

...

Ashlyn pulls up to Ali's house and puts the car in park. She comes around to Ali's side to open the door and Ali' a little disappointed she left the car running.

When Ali grabs Ashlyn's hand, she feels something more than she did the other times. The alcohol gives her the courage she needs to make something happen.

She pushes Ashlyn to the Jeep and kisses her. Hard and charged and Ashlyn wraps her up quickly to keep her close.

Its not until Ali starts pulling them toward the house that Ashlyn pulls away. 

It took everything she had but she was able to do it.

"I should go." Ashlyn juts her thumb toward the Jeep, which is still running.

Ali's eyes flash a glimmer of discouragement and it almost makes Ashlyn change her mind.

But for three reasons, she knows she can't stay.

1\. She has to get up super early.  
2\. Ali's friends already don't like her. She doesn't want to give them more fuel for their fire.  
3\. Ali is drunk. Ashlyn is not. 

"I'm sorry." Ashlyn flinches when she says it. 

Ali nods.

"Its okay." She says softly and pulls closer to give her one more meaningful kiss.

"Will you still come to the party tomorrow?" Ashlyn asks hopefully.

"Is that girl going to be there?" Ali asks teasingly and laughs before pulling Ashlyn in for a hug. "I'll be there."

She mumbles into Ashlyn's chest from inside the hug and holds on a little longer before finally letting go and saying goodnight.

And those mumbled words echoed in Ashlyn's head the entire ride home. _I'll be there._ She liked how it sounded.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can guess... tomorrow's party is going to be eventful.
> 
> I hope you enjoy: foul language, drunken seduction, and mean girls.
> 
> Oh no, I've already said too much!


	8. Party Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> already have some of Part 2 written... get ready.

"Sooo..." Kelley started right when she got in the car to head to the expo. "That girl last night- she was the one you took to lunch?"

"Yea." Ashlyn answered plainly.

"She's..." Kelley tried to think of the best way to put it. "VERY attractive."

Ashlyn looked to her out of the corner of her eye and then back to the road.

"I know." She replied in the same tone.

"You guys talked for a while last night." Kelley continued adding statements to the conversation.

"We did." Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Any other genius observations?" She asked sarcastically.

Kelley raised an eyebrow.

"Still think it doesn't mean anything?" Kelley inquired knowingly.

She knew Ashlyn wouldn't waste time on a girl she didn't think was worth her time. And considering Ashlyn never found any girl interesting enough to have a full conversation with her more than once. Let alone three times.

Ashlyn was slow to answer.

"...I don't know, Kell." She thought about it. "It doesn't really feel different."

"I can tell she really likes you." Kelley added her opinion. "And by 'really like' I mean she actually likes you for you, not for what she can get out of it."  


"I know. I mean, she _is_ very attractive. And pretty funny." Ashlyn thought back and chuckled at some stories from last night. "Hilarious actually. And she's really nice but also a wise-ass." Ashlyn smiled... wide.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were smitten right now." Kelley pointed out.

Ashlyn pulled her smile into check and got serious again.

"I don't do 'smitten'..." She reminded.

Kelley raised an eyebrow at that and mumbled sarcastically...

"Right, and you don't do lunch dates either."

...

"She drove me home." Ali shrugged and took a bite of her breakfast. "And we kissed." She said with a mouthful of cereal.

"And...?" Steph pressed.

"And then she left." Ali narrowed her eyes. "And here we are, eating breakfast."

"Nothing else happened?" Erin asked skeptically.

"Well... no." _Though I tried._

Erin raised an eyebrow, forcing Ali to elaborate.

"I might have tried for more." Ali gave them a guilty smile and then continued. "But it didn't work- which is good because I definitely drank more than intended."

"We noticed." Steph added.

"Anyway..." Ali cleared her throat. "She invited us to her party tonight. I think it will be fun and we only have a few nights left so... why not?"

No answer from her friends. They obviously weren't into the idea.

Ali had enough of their shadiness toward this girl. They didn't even know her and from what Ali could see, they didn't really have a reason to judge.

"Fine." She shook her head. "I'll go by myself."

That got their attention.

"No! What?" Erin jumped in. "We'll go. Its just... Al, we don't want you falling for a girl you'll never see again."

Erin lied and Steph nodded along.

Ali just scoffed at that.

"Yea, because two hours is an eternity away." She sarcastically referenced her apartment's proximity to the island.

She got serious again when she realized her friends weren't amused.

"Guys, I'll be fine." She smiled sincerely. "I know you're worried I'll get hurt again but I'm a big girl and can make my own decisions. And I've always been a good judge of character, right?"

They nodded in agreement. It was true, Ali always seemed to see people for who they really were right from the beginning. Maybe she saw something in this girl that was different from what everyone had said.

"So either let me learn the hard way... or trust my judgement." Ali finished sweetly.

"Okay." They concurred in unison.

"Good." Ali dropped her spoon in her now empty cereal bowl. "Now... who's ready to party tonight?!"

...

Kelley and a few of their friends were first to arrive and help set up at Ashlyn's.

While everyone was outside filling coolers and stacking cups and plates, Kelley headed to the kitchen to see what else Ash needed.

It just so happened, she caught her texting someone with a big grin on her face.

But Kelley didn't comment on it and decided to make her presence known by shuffling her feet as she fully entered the room.

Ashlyn quickly went back to what she was doing.

"What else can I do?" Kelley asked, noting the placed was remarkably clean, more so than usual.

"I think we're all set once I bring this out." Ashlyn pointed to the punch she was mixing.

"Nice." Kelley nodded and decided to pry. "Is your girl coming tonight?"

Ashlyn raised a warning eyebrow.

"She's not my girl." She reminded. "And yes... she is. She just texted me about it."

Ashlyn unknowingly confirmed what Kelley was wondering. She was indeed grinning like a food while texting Ali.

"Awesome." Kelley gave her a knowing smile.

"Yeaaa..." Ashlyn didn't sound too sure. "Her friends don't really like me."

"They don't even know you." Kelley scoffed.

"My reputation precedes me." Ashlyn pointed out needlessly.

Kelley sighed and pat her on the back. "It shouldn't." She commiserated.

"I know." Ashlyn replied quietly.

"Just gotta prove them wrong, right?" Kelley cheered up a bit.

"Sure." Ashlyn replied nervously.

"And you have to treat her right." Kelley added.

"Sure." Ashlyn said again, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than anything else.

...

The party was in full effect and everyone was having a good time.

Ashlyn was talking to a few people when Kelley came over and nudged her.

"Your girl and her friends are here." She whispered.

"She's not my girl." Ashlyn reminded... again, and went back to the conversation.

She was too nervous to go over there right now. Ali and her friends, the same friends she called-out last night at the bar.

Kelley nudged her again to snap her out of her ignorance.

"Ashlyn... go say hi. Bring her a drink. Get her friends a drink too." Kelley said pointedly and Ashlyn decided not to argue.

"Okay, okay." She said and headed over, swallowing her pride and walking right into, what she considered to be, the lion's den.

She would much rather Ali come approach her on her own. Seek her out. But If there were ever a time to listen to Kelley, it would be now.

"Hey." Ashlyn walked up behind them and handed Ali a drink before hugging her with her free arm.

"Thank you." Ali smiled.

Ashlyn nodded with a smile and turned to her friends.

"What can I get you girls to drink?" She asked and made a note of their preferences as they rattled them off. "Cool. I'll be right back."

She left to fetch their drinks but not before giving Ali a wink on her way.

...

"This place is nice." Erin said as she looked around. "Typical surfer chic, I like it."

"Oh..." Ali pretended to be shocked. "Was that a positive comment I just heard?" She teased.  


Erin just gave her a 'very funny' look and continued to take it in.

...

"Here you go." Ashlyn came back with the four drinks and handed them out carefully to each of them.

Ali took this time to introduce each of the girls individually since she's pretty sure she didn't last night.

"Nice to meet you guys." Ashlyn nodded along.

Kelley noticed from nearby that only two of Ali's friends returned the gesture. The other two half-smiled. At least now she knew which ones she had to work on tonight.

_Kelley O'Hara, undercover wing-man._

...

Ashlyn had managed to wrangle Ali to her group of friends for a little bit while Kelley seemed to make friends with Ali's crew. She thought nothing of it and she was certainly glad to spend more time with Ali. 

"Are you having fun?" Ashlyn asked with a smirk on her face while they leaned close, talking to each other, amongst a group of people in the back.

"Mhmmm." Ali hummed and nodded her head up and down.

Ashlyn leaned the few inches necessary to close the gap and gave Ali a soft kiss on the lips.

"Good... I'm glad you're here." She responded and leaned back to her original position before wrapping an arm around Ali's shoulders and pulling her into her side.

Ali couldn't help but feel wanted, but safe at the same time, in that hold. She could certainly get use to this.

But she couldn't help but notice one of the girls in the circle, get up and walk away from the group. Seemingly upset at something. She wondered what her and Ashlyn had missed while they were distracted.

Ashlyn didn't seem to notice.

...

"I'm gonna head back over to my friends." Ali pointed out when they got up to get some food.

"Okay." Ashlyn nodded along.

"Come find me in a little bit?" She asked and pressed a quick kiss to Ashlyn's cheek.

"I will." Ashlyn replied.

...

"I did some damage control." Kelley mentioned casually when she ran into Ashlyn on her way inside.

"With what?" Ashlyn laughed.

Kelley let her eyes flick to Ali's friends across the way.

"Kell..." Ashlyn started.

"Don't worry." Kelley jumped in before Ashlyn could go on. "Totally seamless."

There was a reassuring tone to her voice and Ashlyn just had to trust her on this one. She let it go.

...

"Oh my god! I'm really sorry!" A girl covered her mouth as she bumped into Ali and spilled half of her beer on her.

"Nope." Ali held her tongue. "Its okay." She replied through clenched teeth as she let the beer drip down her arm.

A good amount of it was on her shirt too. Thankfully, it was only beer. And Ali couldn't be mad if it was only a mistake. Especially because the person who spilled on her was the upset girl who left when they were sitting in the group earlier.

She would have felt bad.

"Come here. Let me get you some paper towels." The girl offered and Ali thought it was only right to accept.

...

This whole thing happened without Ashlyn noticing as she was across the party. Had she seen it- she would have certainly jumped in immediately.

But Ashlyn was busy trying to keep her eyes from wandering to Ali- they always seemed to do that when she was around and she wanted to resist for at least a little bit.

_Okay, maybe this girl IS different._

...

"I'm really sorry." The girl repeated herself as she handed Ali a damp paper towel.

"Its okay... really." Ali assured with a sweet smile.

That million-dollar smile that had won so many hearts before. But right now, it was only serving to make the rest of Ali's night worse.

"So, how do you know Ashlyn?" The girl inquired.

"Oh, um..." Ali tried to figure out how to put it. "We kinda went out a couple times... I guess." She smiled confidently.

"Really." The girl scoffed.

That's the moment the conversation shifted. Ali saw a change in the girls eyes and wished her friends had come inside with her. But she certainly wasn't going to back down to anyone.

"Yea..." She nodded along, playing innocent. "Went on a couple dates."

"I thought Ashlyn didn't do dates." The girl added with a bitter tone.

Now Ali was annoyed. She felt backed into a corner and she didn't like it one bit.

"Maybe this is a conversation you should have with Ashlyn instead." Ali replied and turned to head back outside.

She didn't want to hear what anyone else had to say. She could make her own decisions. She could handle herself.

"She's only using you, you know." The girl called after Ali.

Now, that... that stopped her. That got her attention.

And when the girl saw Ali freeze, she decided to go on.

"She uses girls and recycles them. Makes them think they're the only girl in the world. Makes them believe she's good for them. And then she spits them out. Kicks them to the curb. Breaks their heart." The girl actually sounded more sincere than angry now.

Ali turned back with a fire in her eyes.

"How do I know you're not making this all up?" She grit out.

The girl scoffed and shook her head. _She got another one to fall for her._

"She brought you flowers, right? On the second date? Lilies, because _they're beautiful... just like you_." She watched as the anger drained from Ali's eyes and turned to pure hurt.

"So...?" Ali shrugged. She was definitely put-off by this but trying not to let it show. _Has Ashlyn been playing me this whole time? Is this what everyone meant when they said to be careful?_

"So..." The girl continued. "That would mean this is technically your third date, which will be the last one, by the way. Because, like I said, Ashlyn doesn't do dates."

"You don't know that." Ali didn't even sound sure of herself anymore.

The other girl took it as a challenge and pushed the matter

"She took you to the aquarium, right?" She studied Ali's reaction.

Ali froze at that. Her eyes dropped to the ground in defeat. _Fuck. How was I so fucking stupid?_ She felt her heart beating in her throat.

The girl knew she was right and now she kind of felt bad, but just a little bit. She had been in the same position a while back.

"Just thought you should know." She added coldly. "But hey, at least the sex was good. You got that much out of it." She inappropriately tried to ease the tension.

"I didn't have sex with her." Ali muttered, head still dropped.

"Wait, what?!" The girl leaned forward with her mouth slightly open. She couldn't believe it.

"We didn't have sex." Ali reiterated, angrily. Like it was anyone else's business.

The girl soaked that information in for a moment before responding.

"Damn..." She shook her head, still in disbelief Ashlyn hadn't slept with her. "That's all that girl cares about."

Ali was out the door in an instant. She got the picture. Ashlyn was playing her. Being nice and sweet so she could coax Ali into sleeping with her. She should have listened to her friends from the beginning.

She marched out to where she left them. She had all intentions to tell them she wanted to leave.

But when she got there, they were all laughing with none other than... Ashlyn.

...

"Hi!" Ashlyn turned to her with a smile when she noticed Ali standing there.

She immediately noticed the emotion in Ali's eyes. Ashlyn narrowed her own and moved closer.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

Ali thought before answering. She could play this one of two ways...

1\. Take the drink from Ashlyn's hand and throw it in her face... or...  
2\. Get even.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Ali will do? 1 or 2? 
> 
> I already know the answer but I'm wondering what you guys think :)


	9. Party Part II

"Is everything okay?" Ashlyn asked again, due to Ali's lack of response.

"Yea..." Ali faked annoyance instead of anger/hurt. "Someone split their drink on me so now I'm soaked and-"

"Here. Come with me." Ashlyn took her hand. "Borrow something of mine. I don't want you getting cold later."

They both walked inside and out of sight. Ali's friends were still in the dark as to what happened. And so was Ashlyn.

"Damn." Steph smiled, totally unaware of what was on Ali's agenda. "I was kind of enjoying talking to Ashlyn."

"I know... Me too." Erin admitted.

...

"Here." Ashlyn handed Ali a damp washcloth in the bathroom. "I'll grab you a shirt."

Ali watched as Ashlyn walked across the hall to her room. When she was out of sight, Ali took a deep breath and thought about what she was about to do. It was shitty and it was wrong and she didn't care at all.  
Ashlyn soon came back with a plain, black long-sleeve.

"Here you go." She smiled and handed it over. She secretly found it cute that Ali would soon be wearing her favorite shirt.

"Is this okay?" Ali asked softly and bit her lip as she took it from Ashlyn's hands. "Me, wearing your clothes?"

If Ashlyn didn't know any better, she would think Ali was purposely doing this to entice her. Because to Ashlyn, it sounded seductive. But she knew, from the short time she has known Ali, she's not that kind of girl.

"...Yea." Ashlyn was slow to answer. She noticed something different in Ali's eyes... so she quickly turned around to leave her to change.

But Ali grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back. Ali dropped the shirt on the counter but kept her eyes on Ashlyn's as she took a step closer, slowly reaching around her to close the door and then lock it.

She started unbuttoning her own shirt, slipping it off her shoulders and dropping it to the floor after the last button. Now she stood in front of Ashlyn in only jeans and her black, lace bra.

And Ashlyn stood there staring for a moment. Words not coming presenting themselves as she took in the sight before her.

"Is _this_ okay?" Ali asked again, this time in a husky voice, her hand on Ashlyn's hip.

Her intentions- they were undeniable. And this time, Ashlyn's only response was to nod, wordlessly.

Ali was a little surprised. For someone who did this all the time, Ashlyn sure seemed to be in awe at having a half-naked girl in front of her.

But she pressed on. _If this is all she wants..._ She intended to prove a point- she was not to be used unless it was her own decision.

Ashlyn got herself back in check when Kelley's words popped into her head. _Prove her friends wrong._ She quickly tried to find a way out of this.

"H-here." Ashlyn quickly grabbed the longsleeve from the counter and handed it back to Ali, trying her best to look the other way while she did so. "You should probably change so we can get back..."

But it only spurred Ali on more. She figured this was Ashlyn playing hard to get or using another one of her moves, and Ali wanted none of that. She was calling the shots now.

So she took the shirt from Ashlyn's hand and tossed it over her shoulder before pulling her in for a hungry kiss.

The kiss that heated up so quickly even Ashlyn tried to cool it down.

But Ali kept going. Kept trying to reel her in. Kept letting her hands slowly pull up the bottom of Ashlyn's t-shirt.

"Hey, hey." Ashlyn stilled her hand and broke the kiss when Ali reached her ribs. This wasn't like Ali.

"It's fine." Ali mumbled against her lips.

And Ashlyn got lost in her mumble all over again. She had to go in for more.

...

Ashlyn's not sure when it happened, but at some point she lifted Ali onto the counter and stood between her legs. Her hands resting on Ali's thighs as they continued to make out.

They both knew where this was going if it continued.

Ali successfully got Ashlyn's shirt off this time and started working on her belt, pulling her closer as she did so, before Ashlyn stopped her.

"We shouldn't do this." Ashlyn heard herself say.

She wanted this. She wanted Ali so badly. But something still stopped her. _Do it right with her._

But Ali leaned back in and kissed her again.

"Not... like... this." Ashlyn managed to get out between kisses.

She was really trying to resist but Ali was making it hard. She only half-tried to stop it.

And Ali didn't stop. She pulled Ashlyn closer. Held on tighter. Kissed her with more intention. It was only when Ali grabbed Ashlyn's hand and slipped her fingertips into the top of her jeans that Ashlyn pulled back abruptly.

_Do it right with her._

"I can't do this." Ashlyn shook her head side-to-side as she looked at her feet. This wasn't like Ali. Ashlyn didn't want her to do something she would later regret.

Ali just sat there gaping... her anger rising up again. Did she really just get turned down by Ashlyn, a girl who was only interested in playing her from the start?

"Why not? I heard this is your specialty." Ali snapped back with a harsh tone.

All the apprehension drained from Ashlyn's face and she looked on in disbelief... and something that resembled hurt. She knew someone must have said something.

"What?" She asked softly, genuinely upset by that.

"Yea. Talked to one of your "friends". _Real_ nice girl. At least she had the decency to not fuck with my head." Ali was even surprised at how hurt she found herself.

"I'm not fucking with your-"

"The aquarium." Ali stated simply and Ashlyn stopped right there. "How many girls had you brought there before me?"

Ashlyn didn't say a word. She didn't have to. They both knew it was beyond repair right at that point.

Ali nodded up and down. Ashlyn's lack of response confirmed what she expected.

"Exactly." She said pointedly, right in Ashlyn's face before she pushed herself off the counter.

Ashlyn just stood there in disbelief as to what was happening. Ali grabbed the black shirt and pulled it on before purposely shouldering Ashlyn as she walked out of the bathroom.

Once the door opened, Ashlyn snapped back to reality. She couldn't let this girl walk out of her life. She felt a pain in her chest right now.  
"Ali, wait!" She turned and reached for Ali's wrist. "It wasn't like that with you! You're diff-" 

But Ali immediately pulled away and slapped Ashlyn in the face before she could give her another excuse. Not too hard, just enough to prove her next point.

Ashlyn took it in stride, she kind of knew it was coming at some point.

"Don't you **ever** talk to me again. Do you understand?" Ali grit out before she turned around and walked out.  
...

"We're leaving." Ali bit out and grabbed her purse from the patio.

"What?!" Erin and Steph asked in unison.

"You were right. She's an asshole. Let's go." Ali commanded and walked around the house to the front. Soon to be followed by her friends.

Kelley watched it all happen from nearby, as did a few of Ashlyn's friends. They all looked to Ashlyn who had stopped in the doorway in her chase after Ali, having heard it all, with the unmistakable look of regret on her face.

...

"What happened?" Kelley asked as she followed Ashlyn back into the house.

"Leave me alone, Kelley." Ashlyn warned.

"You're seriously going to let her leave right now?" Kelley pressed. She knew if she left it was over for good.

"Kelley..."

"Oh, I see... You fucked it up, didn't you?" Kelley pushed the limit.

Unfortunately, Ashlyn's limit was very low at the moment.

"I said to leave me the fuck alone!" Ashlyn yelled and closed herself in her room before Kelley could catch up.

...

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Steph coaxed as Ali laid on the couch with her head in Steph's lap.

"No." Ali mumbled groggily. She was a little tipsy and a lot upset.

"Okay." Steph allowed it.

"Its just... I thought I really liked her. I felt like there was so much there and now... now I feel so fucking stupid." Ali said, her tears coming back again.

Both Steph and Erin hugged her tight while she let it all out. Now was not the time for 'we told you so'.

...

Ashlyn composed herself after a while in her room. It seemed most people at the party had no idea anything was going on. Which ultimately made it better for her.

She ignored Kelley though. The fact Kelley assumed she fucked up just made her mad. Even her best friend considered her a user and a player and it just made her feel worse.

So when a girl sat with Ashlyn and started talking to her, flirting with her, she let herself get caught up in it for a while.

Had Ali been here now- she would have seen Ashlyn with the girl who spilled the drink on her. And maybe she would have known something was up. 

And the girl, Chelsea, couldn't help but feel like maybe she won this time. Like maybe her plan had worked. She lost Ashlyn once before and she's wanted her back ever since.

...

"Where's Ash?" Chelsea asked when she came back from the bathroom.

"Beach, I think." One of their friends answered and Chelsea didn't waste any time to wander down there.

...

"Hey you..." She said as she walked up behind Ashlyn.

"Hey." Ash forced a smile.

In all honesty, Ashlyn was trying to have a few minutes to herself. And a lot longer than that away from Chelsea. She knew her intentions and she wasn't interested.

Had she known Chelsea was the one to tell Ali- this conversation wouldn't even be happening. Chelsea would already be on her way home.

"Thought I would keep you company." Chelsea wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's waist and hugged her from behind.

"Thanks." Ashlyn replied apathetically.

They eventually sat down.

And then Chelsea casually moved closer and kissed Ashlyn.

But Ashlyn pulled back immediately.  
"Sorry, Chels." She apologized. "I think you have the wrong idea."

"Its never been wrong before." Chelsea smirked and leaned in again.

Ashlyn dodged it and got up, now angry at the fact that- no matter what she said tonight- it seemed no one was listening.

"What is wrong with everyone tonight? Can no one take a hint anymore? No means no! Stop means stop! Leave me alone means LEAVE ME ALONE!" She stormed back up to the house, thoroughly annoyed.

"My god!" ...was the last thing Chelsea heard her huff before she was out of sight.

...

Ashlyn couldn't fake it anymore.

She turned down the music a bit and started cleaning up, hoping people would get the hint and the party would die down. It took a while, but eventually it did and she was finally able to relax.

"I think Ryan's going to drive us home." Kelley cautiously let Ashlyn know her and Whit weren't going to sleep over anymore.

Kelley felt bad for her little accusation, but she knew now wasn't a good time to try and apologize. She knew Ashlyn better than to try that when she was mad.

Ashlyn didn't turn from the sink, though she did soften up a bit.

"Okay." She said quietly.  


"Goodnight." Kelley offered. "And... I love you." 

Ashlyn simply nodded. Still facing away from her.

She waited to hear the front door click shut before she let herself cry.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. Not sorry. We'll make it through though.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy St. Patrick's Day!
> 
> I like how Ali technically got "played" but most of you guys felt bad for Ash lol. That's kind of how I meant it though.
> 
> Hope you like it. I'm going to finish this story (don't worry- a few more chapters coming soon) before updating my others again. Hang tight.

Ashlyn didn't answer her phone the next day. Not for anyone, and especially not for Kelley. She still wasn't ready to talk to her about what transpired last night.

And Kelley knew that was why she was being ignored. She felt bad for what she said and she didn't mean it. She knows she should have listened to Ashlyn's side of the story before putting in her comments.

So, when Kelley was still being ignored two days after the party. She decided to bite the bullet and apologize.

She was currently at the coffee shop downtown. Buying Ashlyn an iced coffee and a pastry in hopes to show up at her door and talk it out.

She grabbed her order when it was up and headed to the door... but someone caught her eye.

Ali.

Sitting by herself in the window, looking out. A mug of coffee in hand.

Kelley paused at the door and considered her options. 

Stay out of it and leave now... or... Intervene.

Ali had no idea Kelley heard anything Ali said to her friends. As far as she knew, the only people who realized anything happened were Erin and Steph, Ashlyn, and herself.

Kelley thought to use that to her advantage.

"Hey..." Kelley slowly approached Ali, breaking her out of her daze. "Ali, right?"

...

"Stop calling me!" Ashlyn whined and switched her phone to silent when Whit called.

The only reason she hadn't turned it off was because she was debating whether or not to try and apologize to Ali... again. She had called her a couple times and been sent to voicemail. She sent a few text too, asking Ali to hear her out.

Now, she stared at her phone for close to an hour.

Ashlyn was glad she didn't have work until later tonight at the beach shack. This had her really bent out of shape for some reason. She had never felt so messed up over a girl before. Not even close.

It made her wonder if this was how she made other girls feel. It only served to make her feel even worse.

...

Kelley decided to play dumb and hope she could work it to her advantage.

"Hi... Kelley." Ali replied.

"How are you?" Kelley asked politely as she walked over.

"I'm okay. You?" Ali asked. 

She couldn't tell whether Kelley knew or not and she certainly did not want to go into it. But Kelley seemed like a nice enough girl that Ali couldn't really tell her to leave her alone.

"Good. Good." Kelley bobbed her head up and down.

She took the seat across form Ali and sighed. _Time for some acting._ She told herself.

"Listen, I know you're probably the reason I haven't seen Ash the past two days..." She started and Ali figured she was here to try and explain for her friend.

But Kelley's plan was to pretend she still knew nothing about what happened between the two. She was going to pretend she thought Ash was ignoring her because she was so caught up in Ali.

"And I'm really happy about it." Kelley added before Ali could tell her to save her breath and get lost.

"What?" Ali asked, now thoroughly confused.

"I know she really likes you. I can see it in her eyes when she mentions your name. Which, by the way, is often. She never _really_ likes someone but its different with you." Kelley explains. "So, if the reason I haven't heard from her in two days is because she is hanging out with you- then I'm more than okay with that."

Kelley smiled wide to sell it. Playing dumb to the situation wasn't so bad.

Ali thought about what Kelley said. _Its different with you._ That's what Ashlyn was about to say too... right before Ali slapped her in the face. She wondered if it could really be true or if this was some sort of ploy.

And then everything the girl at the party told her came rushing back. And she reminded herself why she was sitting here... alone, drinking coffee.

"Its just a Summer fling." Ali muttered.

Even though Ali was looking down, Kelley could see the emotions on her face. Regret. Disappointment. Heart-break.

"Maybe for you." Kelley said pointedly as she stood to leave. "But definitely not for her." 

Kelley let her last piece linger for a second in seriousness. The kind of serious tone that almost made Ali ask her to elaborate. But her broken heart was hesitant and she let the chance slip away from her.

Kelley had no choice but to give up.

"Have a nice Summer, Ali." She said in defeat and walked out the door.

...

When Ashlyn heard a knock at her door her first thought was to pretend she wasn't home. 

But when the door creaked open, she knew it wasn't an option anymore.

"Ash?" She heard a familiar voice call her name cautiously.

She sighed before answering. "...I'm up here, Kell." She replied from the loft.

She still wasn't ready to talk to Kelley. Or to talk about what happened either. But it looked like she really had no choice.

...

"Wow." Kelley sat back in her chair. "Just... wow." 

"Yea..." Ashlyn commiserated.

"Who did she talk to?" Kelley asked, still astonished as to what happened. Not necessarily what Ali did but more importantly that Ashlyn tried to stop her, numerous times, because she wanted to do things right.

"No idea." Ashlyn shook her head. "But if I ever find out..."

She let her threat trail off because it wasn't necessarily that person's fault. It was her own fault. And that made her feel that much worse.

"I'm really sorry about what I said." Kelley interjected. "That was messed up. I thought you..."

"Its okay, Kell. Apparently, you had every right to assume I'd fuck it up." Ashlyn explained. "Because... I did." 

"No, you didn't. Ash, if she was any other girl you would have gone through with it. You wouldn't have stopped her. Hell, if it were any other girl- you would have ditched her after the first date." Kelley pointed out.

Ashlyn just patiently let her go on. 

"Can we both just admit there is something different with her?" Kelley asked.

"Obviously." Ashlyn finally admitted it.

"Whoa!" Kelley sat up and gave her a weird look.

"What?" Ashlyn asked.

"That was... easy. You just admitted it like it was nothing." Kelley pointed out and Ashlyn gave her an annoyed look. "No, Ash... that's good."

Ashlyn failed to see how that was a good thing. She liked this girl, a lot... and she just ruined everything with her.

...

"What do you think?" Ali asked.

"Well... first, she's an idiot if she was actually playing you." Kyle responds truthfully. "But... I don't know. It kind of sounds like she backed off a few times. And she didn't take advantage of the situation in the bathroom (thanks for sparing me the details, by the way). So... I mean... I don't know, AK. It could really go either way."

"Well that doesn't helppp." Ali sighed.

"The fact I didn't straight-up say 'forget her' should stand for something." Kyle pointed out. "But at the same time- I don't want you getting hurt. So, if _you_ think you should hear her side of the story- then I trust your judgement. Because you've always been a good judge of other people. So... its up to you."

"I just can't help but feel there's something else there. Something important. Something that maybe only I can bring out." Ali palmed her forehead. "Ughhh. I don't knowww." She whined.

"How many nights do you have left?" Kyle asked.

"Two. But... I don't have work for another two days after that so... if there was a reason to- I could do more." Ali debated in her head.

"Well..." Kyle claps his hands together. "I trust you'll make the right decision. Call me in two (or more) days and tell me all about it?" he finishes with a beaming smile.

"Alright." Ali concedes. "Love you."

"Love you too."

...

Ashlyn was a shell of her normal self at work. Carrie, a girl she worked with and knew pretty well, asked her about it.

"What's up with you, kid?" She nudged Ashlyn.

"Nothing." Ashlyn grumbled a bit under her breath.

"Am I suppose to believe that?" Carrie asked through a chuckle.

Ashlyn exhaled and sat on the stainless steel cooler behind the bar.

"I like this girl... and I fucked it up, man." Ashlyn grumped.

Carrie chuckled knowingly.

"Ash, you like a lot of girls. You'll be fine." She assured.

"No!" Ashlyn whined and buried her head in her arms on the counter as she mumbled something inaudibly.

"What was that?" Carrie asked and pulled her to sit up straight.

"I said... I _really_ like her." Ashlyn admitted reluctantly. "Like... can't-stop-thinking-about-her, want-to-hold-her-hand-all-the-time, her-laugh-makes-my-heart-jump, like her."

Carrie looked at her with smile in her eyes. She couldn't help it.

"What?" Ashlyn whined. She saw the same look in Kelley's eyes recently.

"You really like her!" Carrie squealed and crushed her in a hug.

"I know... I just told you that." Ashlyn pointed out.

"No, Ash... this is big. You never _really_ like someone." Carrie smiled. "You have to let her know."

"That's the problem... she won't talk to me." Ashlyn said sadly.

They both watched as a couple at one of the high-top tables got up to leave. Carrie held her hand up to let Ashlyn know to hold that thought and she would be right back. She went to clean the table and checked on a few of the other tables still occupied.

"Was it the girl from the party?" Carrie asked when she came back with a tray of empty glasses.

"Huh?" Ashlyn asked.

"The girl you like... was she the one you were hanging out with at your party?" Carrie spelled it out.

"Yea. That's the one." Ashlyn thought back on the earlier parts of the night.

"Brunette, right? With bright, brown eyes?" Carrie pressed.

"Yeaaa..." Ashlyn said slowly, wondering where this was going.

Carrie gave her a small smile.

"Looks like tonight is your lucky night." Carrie nodded toward the furthest table, newly occupied by a brown-eyed brunette.

...


	11. Chapter 11

Ashlyn hopped off the cooler and straightened her shirt before starting to walk over to Ali. She paused though and slowly turned back to Carrie.

"What do I say?" Ashlyn asked nervously. "She hates me. She won't believe me."

"Just be honest." Carrie replied easily.

"Being honest got me slapped in the face the other night." Ashlyn pointed out.

Carrie took in that piece of information and tried to hold back a smile.

"Not funny." Ashlyn grit out, though she knew she got what was coming to her.

"I like her already." Carrie replied seriously. Someone had to put Ashlyn in her place for being a player sooner or later. "Go. Before she changes her mind and leaves."

...

Ali sat at the table anxiously. She wasn't sure how this was going to go but she just had to know for sure. It took a lot to get herself to come here- this was not like her at all- but she had to see this out.

Just as she was wondering whether Ashlyn saw her or not, she heard someone walking up from behind.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. _Here goes nothing..._

...

"Hey." Ashlyn said cautiously, hesitantly as she approached.

Ali said nothing in return. Her eyes remained forward, toward the beach, until Ashlyn stood next to her. She let her eyes rise to meet Ashlyn's. She saw what looked like regret, nerves, and anticipation.

Ashlyn saw skepticism and determination in Ali's eyes. She wasn't sure if the determination was good or bad. She worried for the worst. It seemed like Ali was here to tear Ashlyn a new one. She hoped her assumption was wrong.

Ali looked back toward the ocean.

"What time do you get off work?" She asked.

Ashlyn stared at her for a moment before realizing she needed to answer now or risk her leaving again.

"9:00." She replied distractedly as she continued to study Ali's expression, or what of it she could see from her side-angle.

Ali looked at her watch, it read 8:25, and she nodded once- letting Ashlyn know she would wait until then.

Ashlyn stood there for a second until she realized what was happening.

"I'll be back at 9:00." She said and started walking away, thankful she might have a chance to at least explain later. 

...

Ash had cleaned up in record time and did more than her share of the work for the rest of her shirt. She helped Carrie with everything possible and was counting down the last three minutes.

"Ash, go." Carrie told her for the second time.

"Its only 8:57." Ashlyn pointed out.

Carrie watched as Ashlyn's foot bounced up and down as she watched the clock. She could tell she was ready to go but also scared at the same time.

She put her hand on Ashlyn's bouncing knee to calm her.

"You're going to be fine. Just be honest and be yourself because you're a great person. And yea, maybe its rough for her to come to terms with your past but if you say she's different- she needs to know that. All of it."

Ashlyn simply nodded and gulped.

"Go!." Carrie repeated and pushed her along.

...

Ali got up as she heard Ashlyn approaching.

"Walk me home?"

"Sure." Ashlyn nodded in acceptance and followed her own the planks to the beach.

The moon was in full effect tonight, lighting up the entire beach easily.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Ashlyn wasn't sure how to start and Ali wasn't ready to talk yet.

When the silence got to be too much, Ashlyn took a deep, quiet breath and decided to go for it.

"Listen, I'm really really sorry about-"

"No." Ali stopped her short. "You don't get to talk yet." She continued sternly.

Ashlyn was taken aback by that. This girl was really on a roll of putting her in her place. No one did that before.

"Fair enough." Ashlyn let it happen.

"Do you play girls?" Ali asked flat out.

"Its not like that. They know upfront-"

"Yes or no." Ali demanded.

"Its not that black and white!" Ashlyn argued her point.

But that only caused Ali to walk faster. Ahead of Ashlyn.

 _Shit._ Ashlyn jogged to catch up.

"Fine. Yes." She admitted. _But not you._

"Those things the girl told me about- the flowers, the aquarium- is that true?" Ali pressed, still looking ahead.

"Yes." Ashlyn cringed when she admitted it.

She felt really bad about that one. When she brought Ali to the aquarium- she didn't feel for her what she felt now. She didn't even know it was possible to feel what she felt now.

"Were you playing me?" Ali asked her main question.

"No, well... yes, at first, but then-"

"Yes or no!" Ali sped up again.

"Its not that simple!" Ashlyn caught up and got in front of Ali, only to be brushed past.

She stood there and tipped her head back to look at the sky. _Fuck it. Just do it._

"I like you!" Ashlyn called after her and Ali came to a halt. "I don't like anyone... but I like you. Girls don't make me nervous- but my stomach flips everytime your eyes meet mine. I've never been interested in a girl enough to really talk with her- but I had a lot of fun just talking to you at the bar the other night. I like you- and I don't know what it means but I can't make it stop."

Ali took in the information for a moment. It was either a very nice, genuine gesture or a total ploy from a known smooth-talker. Her gut wanted to believe Ashlyn was telling the truth though.

"Why did you stop me the other night?" She asked.

"That's not a yes or no question." Ashlyn pointed out but Ali was having none of it- she wasn't amused. "Sorry..."

Ash recovered...

"I stopped you because I know that isn't like you. And I thought you would regret it afterward. And... I guess... part of me knows you want and deserve better than that."

Her answer sounded honest enough but Ali needed more to base it on.

"If you were playing me at first, why didn't you ditch me after the first night?" She pressed.

"I don't know. I drove you home and my plan was to leave it at that but I found myself asking you to hang out again... And then again." Ashlyn answered honestly.

She continued...

"And then I got caught up. When I saw you out at the bar, and we just talked all night, something kicked in. Something changed. So, when you _hinted_ that you wanted me to come in when I dropped you off- I wanted to, I really **really** wanted to- but I didn't. Because I didn't think it would be fair to you."

"I did not hint that I wanted you to come in." Ali contested.

Ashlyn just raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

Ali just rolled her eyes in response when she knew she had been caught. She let Ashlyn go on.

"I could have stayed. I could have let things escalate... But I didn't... did I?" Ashlyn made a good point.

"No." Ali replied softly, reluctantly.

"That has to stand for something, right?" Ashlyn pressed. "And when I stopped you in the bathroom too. And the fact that I haven't stopped thinking about you all week- even after you smacked me in the face."

She gave Ali a pointed look.

"I'm not sorry about that." Ali admitted.

"I deserved it." Ashlyn nodded.

She started walking again in the direction of Ali's house and when she got level with Ali, Ali resumed walking with her.

"Look, you have absolutely no reason to believe **anything** I say... I get that. Unfortunately, I brought that upon myself. But I need you to know- I was always upfront with girls. I always told them I wasn't looking for a relationship. They always told me it was fine and usually it was... but some... well some didn't take it so well."

Ali let her go on.

"And its not as bad as it seems. The rumors got way out of hand. People made it seem like I have a new girl every week and it snowballed into more rumors. Its not like that." Ashlyn defended herself. "At all."

"Okay." Ali nodded.

"Okay?" Ashlyn asked.

"Okay. I get it... but I'm not asking about the other girls. I'm asking about me." Ali was playing hard ball.

"I like you. And I don't know where things would go if you gave me another chance. I can't make any promises. But I like you. I know that for sure. And when I like someone- I don't care about anyone else." Ashlyn explained.

"I thought you 'never like anyone'?" Ali pressed.

"Not in a while." Ashlyn as she looked down to her feet.

Ali sensed there was more to the story. Maybe even more to the reason why Ashlyn was the way she was with other girls. But she didn't want to press it right now. She hardly knew this girl and she didn't know if she even wanted to get to know her anymore.

But she knew there was only one way to find out.

They climbed the stairs of the beach entrance to Ali's street. For Ashlyn, it came too soon.

Ali took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Here's the deal. You don't deserve a second chance." She said bluntly and Ashlyn visably deflated. "But for some reason- I'm compelled to believe I should give you one anyway."

Ashlyn's eyes darted to Ali's as she continued.

"My friends and I are going out when I get back. Come with us." Ali offered but it sounded like an ultimatum.

"Your friends don't exactly like me." Ashlyn pointed out needlessly.

"I know." Ali replied and started walking up to the house. "But if you can change that- I'll give you another chance."

...


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Its my birthday today. So here's my present to all of you.

Ali told her friends this was her plan ahead of time.

They were skeptical (on top of already being reluctant) but they went along with it.

They didn't like Ashlyn from the start... not for Ali at least. But at the party, she was fun and they back-pedaled on their initial judgements. Unfortunately, that night didn't end in Ashlyn's favor.

"Do you think she'll actually come?" Erin asked as her and Steph waited for Ali to come back.

"Honestly..." Steph thought on it. "I do."

Erin nodded with her. They saw a different side of Ashlyn when she was with Ali. And they saw Ashlyn's face when Ali left the party. They were starting to think maybe there **was** more to it than expected.

...

"Hey guys." Ali walked in.

"Hey." Erin looked up from the game her and Steph were playing with two of their friends.

She was surprised to see only Ali. But before she could even furrow her brow...

"You guys remember Ashlyn..." Ali pointed over her shoulder as Ashlyn walked in behind her.

"Yeaaa." Steph gave her a serious look.

"Hey guys." Ashlyn responded softly, nervously.

She was in a room with four people who did not like her very much and one person who just smacked her in the face the other night. She had her work cut out for her and this... was going to be a long night.

...

Ashlyn was glad they picked a place she knew well. There was a chance she would run into a friend or someone she knew who could help prove her case. She hoped.

Thankfully, Ashlyn knew the bartender. Very well.

"Hey, Ash!" She extended her hand to give her a pound over the crowd.

"Hey, Whit." Ashlyn met her fist with her own and then handed her credit card over. "Their drinks are on me tonight."

The look in Ashlyn's eyes told Whit not to question it. And when she spotted Ali, Whit figured out why.

"Cool. I'll keep it open. What can I get you guys?" Whit obliged.

"A round of margaritas?" Ashlyn asked to the group collectively and they all nodded in agreement.

"Three people deep to the bar and she gets the bartender's attention immediately." Erin snickered bitterly under her breath.

She purposely did it so Ashlyn would hear, but still made it seem like she didn't want her to.

Ashlyn knew she was going to get some jabs tonight. She promised herself Ali was worth it to let them slide and take it in stride.

She turned around slowly and caught Erin's eye.

"She's one of my best friends." Ashlyn pointed out, but not angrily. "And she was my college roommate."

"Hmm. Where'd you go to school?" Steph asked Whit as she leaned on the bar-top.

"University of North Carolina." Whit looked to Ash before she answered. She had already caught onto catch on to the fact Ashlyn was being grilled tonight.

"That's a good school." Steph looked to Ashlyn expectantly.

"It is." Ashlyn agreed. "I worked hard to get in and I worked hard once I got there."

"And by that she means... I never saw her." Whit started.

Ashlyn looked down at the ground when she knew where Whit was going with this. Steph and Erin could only think... _here comes the dirt._

And Whitney continued...

"She was at the library every night after class. Especially during mid-terms and finals. She made the Dean's List every-freaking-semester." Whitney gave her a proud smile. "Graduated a semester early. Started her own business. And here she is..."

Ashlyn just smiled shyly.

Whitney handed over two drinks at a time unitl everyone's hands were full.

"Enjoy!" She said and winked at Ash as she went to help other customers.

If anyone could vouch for Ashlyn, Whitney was the one.

...

They had been there for a while now. It was close to midnight and Ashlyn was easily getting along with Ali's friends. Erin and Steph, although still skeptical, were joining right in on the jokes and having fun. 

Ashlyn made sure to dedicate most of her time to making a good impression (while still being herself) but all she really wanted was to hang out with Ali. She stuck close by and couldn't help but give her sly smiles all night.

Ali watched as Ashlyn told stories and laughed with her friends. She even coaxed a drunk guy away from Erin, who was laughing as the guy tried to sneak his way back.

They were all laughing really, and it seemed the night was going well.

Though, Ashlyn did feel like she was being scrutinized most of the time. And she was a little perplexed by it but tried not to let it show. She kept telling herself- Ali is worth it.

People generally liked Ashlyn- she knew this. So she kept reminding herself- this girl's friends had every right to judge her- based on what Ali found out the other night. And she could see how it would seem like she was playing Ali.

So when Ashlyn went up to get another round, she was surprised when Erin came up with her.

...

"I actually like her, you know." Ashlyn said to Erin while still looking straight ahead as they waited for another round of drinks.

"I noticed." Erin nodded. "You're different than how I thought you'd be."

Ashlyn furrowed her brow at that. "There's a lot about me you don't know."

"You're right." Erin agreed as Whit brought the drinks over. "Hang around long enough for us to find out?"

And with that she grabbed three of the drinks and walked back to the table.

 _Did I just get the go ahead?_ Ashlyn wondered.

...

Back at the table, they were all hanging out and drinking. Ali sidled up to Ashlyn when she came back over and Ashlyn liked having her by her side. She didn't feel the urge to check out other girls. She didn't want to mingle.

She didn't want the night to end.

She knew tomorrow was the girls' last night and she wasn't exactly ready to say goodbye to Ali. She was so intrigued by and drawn to her. Ashlyn would stay out all night if it meant she would have more time with Ali.

Erin gave Ashlyn an approving smile as she excused herself to the bathroom. Steph had turned to talk to some guy who came over. Their other friends were talking to each other.

It seemed everyone was slowly accepting Ashlyn's intentions and giving her time with Ali.

...Until Ashlyn's phone lit up on the table...

It was after 1:00 am so, of course, Ali's friends thought the same thing when a girl's name came up. And Ali thought so too, but she hid it better. 

But Ashlyn knew the truth.

Jessie, the girl calling her right now, is one of her employees. Had Ali and her friends not been so quick to judge, Ashlyn would have explained that. But their expressions made her not want to explain herself at all.

She realized she couldn't win here. It seemed they would never trust her.

Ali's two other friends, Crystal and Megan, only knew what they heard after the party the other night. So they could only base their assumptions of Ashlyn on the bad stuff. They were so busy getting drunk they didn't even try to get to know Ash tonight anyway.

But its not the friends' reactions that bothered Ashlyn. Its the fact she catches Ali check her watch when she sees the name on her phone. And the flash of disappointment that takes over her expression.

Ashlyn knows what she's thinking and she realizes- this girl thinks the same thing as everyone else.

She decides to remain polite though.

"I have to take this." Ash excuses herself and steps to the side.

"I'm sure you do." Crystal replied under her breath but Ashlyn heard it.

...

Erin came back to the table while Ash was gone and was about to ask where she was when Ashlyn came walking back toward the table.

Ali can see the concern on her face. She actually looked scared.

"I'll be right there. Hang tight." Ashlyn urges as she hangs up and looks to Ali. "I have to go."

"Must be _really_ important." Crystal says sarcastically from the side and Ali shot her a glare.

"The fire department is at my shop. I own a business, remember?" Ashlyn snips at the girl quite angrily but she makes sure to keep it in check.

She is purposely vague. Part of her wants them to feel bad for assuming. She leaves her emergent comment in the air.

"Is everything okay?" Ali asked, now concerned instead of annoyed.

"I don't have time to explain. I'm really sorry." Ashlyn replies sincerely as she grabs her stuff.

"Then I'll come with you." Ali offered when she realized how worried Ash really was. She's not sure why, but she feels like she wants to help.

Crystal and Megan scoff at that. Loudly. Loud enough it causes Steph to turn around and tune back into the conversation.

She notices Ashlyn is leaving and furrows her brow as she tries to make sense of it. She was expecting to have Ashlyn around all night. She, like Erin, had changed her mind about her. For the better.

Ash looks to Crystal and Megan out of the corner of her eye when they scoff, and then down to her feet. She exhaled expectantly and then took a deep breath. She didn't want to do this but she had to.

She turned her attention back to Ali...

"You should stay." She replied sadly but seriously. "Look, whatever you wanted to happen here tonight... obviously didn't work out. I'm sorry I couldn't change their minds."

She let her eyes glance to Crystal and Megan directly before she turned to leave. But she stopped when she felt bad for blaming it on them. Still, she couldn't ignore the fact Ali was on the page. 

Ashlyn cringed at the thought of leaving on that note. At the very least, she had to be civil. So, she swallowed her pride, turned to the group, and continued through a small, forced smile as she held back her emotions.

"It was nice meeting you all." She said the last part with finality and then gave Ali a small smile as she pulled away and walked out.

Ali knows by her tone that "you all" included her too. And this time, she is the one left standing there- reeling with regret.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming tomorrow...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the birthday wishes! Here is another update for ya.

"What just happened?" Erin asked with a dropped jaw. What did she miss?

"Yea, what the heck was that?" Steph added.

Crystal and Megan just shrugged and went back to conversation.

Ali stood there with her jaw slightly gaped, her eyes narrow and a sad expression on her face. It only took a second for Erin and Steph to put the pieces together.

"Al, go after her." Steph said it like it was the easiest decision in the world.

Erin didn't say anything but she nodded toward the door to urge Ali to go.

Again, Ali weighed it on what her gut told her. She ran out the door.

...

Ashlyn was heading in the direction of her shop at a fast pace while also trying to hail a cab. It was drizzling and a bit windy but nothing too bad.

She didn't have much time to process what just happened in there, mainly because she was worried about her shop.

Jessie had said there was no fire but the Fire Dept. wouldn't let her any closer. One of the firemen said they thought it was a water main break but they weren't sure.

Ashlyn purposely left that part out when she told Ali's friends of the emergency. She wanted to let them feel bad about being so quick to judge. Whether they did or not, she'll never know.

...

"Ash! Ashlyn!" Ali called after her when she finally found her a block away. "Ashlyn wait!"

Ali was pretty sure Ashlyn was choosing to ignore her but she pressed on anyway. She jogged up along side her and kept up with Ashlyn's hurried pace.

She wanted to apologize but she knew the most important thing right now was Ashlyn getting to her shop.

"You should go back, Ali." Ashlyn warned, but still nicely.

"Maybe I should." Ali shrugged. "But I'm not going to."

Ashlyn could hear the determination in her voice. She didn't have the time to argue it right now. She just needed to get to the surf shop and make sure everything was alright.

"I can handle this on my own." Ashlyn pointed out, a little more angrily than she intended.

"Yea? How's that working out for you?" Ali replies sarcastically and looks up to the falling rain.

Ashlyn immediately gives her a dirty glare. "Just fine!" She says as she picks up the pace.

Ali feels bad for being sarcastic at a time like this. She exhales and grabs Ashlyn's arm. Before Ashlyn can pull away, Ali puts her thumb and pointer to her own lips and lets out a shrill whistle.

A cab passing on the other side of the road comes to a near-stop before quickly pulling a u-turn to come to their side of the road.

Ali watches it pull up but she can feel Ashlyn's stare on her. She glances to her quickly out of the corner of her eye and then back to the cab.

"Get in." She says, her voice low in the increasing rainfall, and Ashlyn looks at her for a moment longer before getting in the car.

...

The drive is short and silent. Only interrupted by Ashlyn answering a call from the local police department. They tell her it is indeed a water main break and they turned off the building's power for now.

"Yes, I'm on my way there now. Should be there in less than a minute. Thank you." She clicks off and stares back out the window.

Ali watches out of the corner of her eye as she looks straight ahead. She relaxes some when she hears Ashlyn mention the water main to the officer, but she knows the tension of the night is far from ending.

...

"Ashlyn!" Jessie exclaims with relief and shares her umbrella with Ashlyn 

She gives Ash a side-hug as they walk over to the building, Ali tagging behind.

"I was driving home from Rob's when I saw the lights from the fire truck." She explained as they walked toward the police officers.

"Thanks for calling me. I really appreciate it." Ashlyn nodded to her. "I have it from here. You can head home."

"Okay. Hope everything works out!" Jessie calls as she runs to her car, pulling her hood tight over her head as she leaves her umbrella in Ashlyn's hand.

Ashlyn heads to the closest officer.

"Hi. I'm the owner." She offers and he directs her to the fireman who inspected the building.

Ashlyn makes her way over to him, past the police tape, when she hears the officer stop Ali.

"Miss, I'm sorry. You can't go in there." He says politely.

Ashlyn thinks to keep walking but can't help but feel bad. She turns to see Ali has a worried look on her face. She's soaked and still being rained on and she's shivering, having forgotten her sweater in the haste to chase Ashlyn.

Ashlyn's heart breaks a little at the sight. Even right now, she's taken by Ali's beauty.

"She's with me." Ashlyn explains.

"I can't let anyone in the building but the owner right now." He says apologetically.

Ali goes to say she'll be fine. That she'll take a cab back, if Ashlyn wants. But Ashlyn beats her to it.

"She's my girlfriend." Ashlyn lies, convincingly, as she reaches for Ali's hand. "I'm not leaving her out here in pouring rain."

Both her and Ali know very well she could have just handed Ali the umbrella. Or asked if she could sit in the police car. Or let her take a cab back to the bar.

But she didn't.

With Ali's hand in her's, Ashlyn looked to the officer expectantly. He looked to the side and then back to them.

"Go ahead." He said reluctantly as he nodded and let Ali by.

...

"Alright, thank you." Ashlyn says finally as the firemen and police head out.

She plops down on the couch heavily and lets out a long sigh. The only light in the building filtering in through the office upstairs, where a small generator is located to keep the security system and other things running.

"This sucks." She exhales, but its definitely better than expected. "Four days is a lot of lost revenue."

Its the first thing she's said to Ali in over an hour. And Ali doesn't respond. Ashlyn didn't expect her to anyway. She's just venting and putting off talking about anything else.

She knows she needs to call her dad too. But that can wait until the morning.

"I should probably get you home." Ashlyn offered after a moment.

"Yea." Ali nodded up and down slowly, her eyes still fixed on Ashlyn. "Okay."

Ashlyn handed her the umbrella and when she retracted her hand, she felt how wet her shirt was.

"Alex, you're probably freezing!" Ashlyn had totally forgotten about the rain.

"I'm okay." Ali said quietly as she bit back a shiver. Her boldness from earlier long gone.

"No, come on." Ashlyn led the way up to her office.

...

Even in Ashlyn's gray joggers and a plain, black t-shirt (which was a little big on Ali), Ashlyn thought she looked adorable.

She grabbed a hoodie off her chair and handed it to Ali.

"You need something dry too." Ali pointed out but Ashlyn insisted.

"I'll be fine." Ashlyn replied and immediately softened up when Ali's eyes met hers.

Ali gave her a small smile and broke eye contact.

"I'm sorry I was a jerk before." Ashlyn gave in.

"Its okay. You were stressed and trying to get here." Ali reasoned.

"No, I mean... at the bar. With your friends. Its no one's fault but mine that you guys don't trust me. You have every right not to." Ashlyn came clean.

Ali's head lifted quickly so her eyes could meet Ashlyn's.

"YOU have no reason to apologize." Ali set it straight. "They were being assholes. I should be the one who is sorry. They just made a wrong assumption."

Ashlyn looked down to the ground at that.

"Yea. They did... but so did you." She pointed out without looking up.

Ali was hoping Ashlyn hadn't noticed. She cringed when she realized she did. No wonder she was so harsh with Ali when she was leaving the bar. And when she was trying to get a cab.

"You have every right to mistrust me." Ashlyn reasoned.

"No." Ali shook her head side-to-side. "I don't... I don't let what other people say dictate how I feel for someone. It was a momentary lapse of judgement... and I'm really _really_ sorry."

Ashlyn didn't respond though. She only nodded up-and-down slowly. Her eyes still on the floor.

Ali reached for her hand and held it in her own. She didn't speak until Ashlyn finally looked up at her. They held each other's gaze for a while.

Ashlyn couldn't look away. Those eyes were like hypnosis for her. She immediately give up trying to fight it.

Ashlyn brushed to the side the damp hair that was plastered to Ali's forehead and tucked it behind her ear.

"I think I'm the one who needs to ask for a second chance this time. Huh?" Ali half-teased and Ashlyn smiled back.

"I think I can allow it." She nodded along. "And um... sorry for calling you my girlfriend before. I knew he wouldn't let you in otherwise." Ashlyn admitted. But truth be told, she liked how it felt when she said it.

"Its okay." Ali held back a smile. She liked how it sounded when Ashlyn called her that.

"Actually..." Ashlyn thought about it. "Fuck it! I'm not sorry! I liked calling you my girlfriend. There... I said it."

Ali looked at her with widening eyes and tried to suppress a smile.

Ashlyn turned to walk away but before she had the chance, Ali grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed her with everything she had.

When they finally broke apart, Ali kept her lips against Ashlyn's.

"Maybe that's something we can work toward?" She asked in a whisper.

Ashlyn just nodded and kissed her again.

...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My life has been increasingly crazy lately. Sorry for the extended time between updates. And sorry ahead of time... I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow so likely no updates until next week but I WILL be back.
> 
> Oh and...
> 
> Dear person who is trolling a bunch of works recently,
> 
> If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
> 
> Sincerely, the back of my hand.

They walked to Ashlyn's car which was still at the bar she works at. It’s the closest option and she had long since sobered up, having watched what she drank all night anyway.

They huddle under the umbrella the entire way.

Something in the air had definitely changed and Ashlyn felt more drawn to her than ever. She felt the need to protect Ali, even if just from the rain, and she made sure to put her first.

When they made it to her car, Ashlyn opened the door for Ali and made sure to keep her covered from the rain as she got in. She then went around to her side and hopped in the driver's seat.

When they pulled up to Ali's house, neither of them said anything. The whole ride, Ali was wondering if Ashlyn was driving her house with her friends or to her own house. She hoped for the latter.

Ashlyn knew tomorrow was Ali and her friends' last day. She's sure they have plans and she didn't want to intrude. So she waits for Ali to take the lead on this one.

Ali doesn't want to get out of the car. She's not really a fan of Crystal and Megan right now. And she doesn't want to leave Ashlyn yet.

"I don't know if I want to go in there." Ali chuckles lightly.

"I'd walk you in but I don't think your two friends would like that." Ashlyn smiled ruefully.

Ali scrunched up the side of her face to show her annoyance with them.

"They're Steph's friends, really. But I'm sure they got an earful from her when I left." Ali pointed out but didn't elaborate.

There was another moment of silence before Ashlyn spoke.

"I would say you should stay with me but I don't think-"

"Okay." Ali interrupted. She only needed a little nudge.

Ashlyn slowly turned her head to face Ali. "Yea?" She asked, unsure if that's what Ali really wanted.

But Ali nodded confidently. "Yea." She replied, and there was no doubt in her voice this time.

...

Ashlyn came out of her room after she changed into dry clothes and Ali is right where she left her- drinking a glass of water in the kitchen and looking at all the postcards on the fridge. Ashlyn takes a moment to look at her before making her presence known.

"I know it’s pretty late... but do you want to watch some TV or something?" Ashlyn posed.

"Sure." Ali nodded and walked toward the living room area.

...

Ashlyn was pretty sure Ali was fighting sleep from the beginning.

Ashlyn was exhausted too- the night had really taken a toll on her and she couldn't help but worry about the shop. She was so distracted by it that she hardly registered when Ali's head rested on her shoulder. Or maybe it just felt right.

...

"Ali, hey. We should go to sleep." Ashlyn nudged Ali about an hour later.

"Mmm?" Ali hummed. "Okay." She mumbled groggily but she didn't move to get up. She just nestled closer, scrunched up her face as she moved and let it relax when she settled. She let out a little sigh as she drifted back to sleep.

Ashlyn looked down at her as it happened. First, with a smile. Which turned into a more protective grin. She's pretty sure Ali is completely asleep and has no idea this is happening. And as Ashlyn watched it happen she felt a slight tugging in her chest.

She was pretty sure she just got hooked on this girl.

...

Ali was the first to wake up. She was sprawled on her side on Ashlyn's couch with a blanket up to her chin and the sun in her eyes.

She could feel the unmistakable pressure of someone's forehead resting against her back.

Ashlyn.

Ali didn't want to wake her. She could feel how tense she was last night and knew she was likely worrying about her business. She wanted to let her sleep a little longer.

...

The second time Ali woke was because Ashlyn nudged her. 

"Hey you." Ashlyn whispered from a crouched position in front of Ali.

"Mmm." Ali groaned and curled up a bit.

That got a smile out of Ashlyn- _everything this girl does is so damn cute_. She brushed the hair out of Ali's face and tucked it behind her ear. She watched as the corner of Ali's mouth turned up in a small smile.

"How do you take your coffee?" Ashlyn asked, her hand still resting behind Ali's ear.

The mention of coffee got Ali's full attention. She squinted her eyes open one at a time and Ashlyn seemed to stare deeply into them.

"Black. One spoonful of sugar." Ali whispered.

"Mmmkay." Ashlyn replied softly and pressed a quick kiss to Ali's lips. "Take your time. No rush." She said sincerely and headed back toward the kitchen.

...

With the smell of coffee in the air, the sound of the ocean filling the house, and the notion of spending the morning with Ashlyn, it wasn't long before Ali was in the kitchen with her.

"Good morning." Ashlyn greeted as Ali walked over.

She quickly moved to the coffee maker to pour Ali's coffee, dropped in a spoonful of sugar and put the mug on the counter next to her own.

"Good morning." Ali replied when she picked up the mug.

...

They drank their coffee outside, recapping the good parts of the night and leaving out the bad. There was no need to re-hash it.

"I have to run to the shop to meet the contractor in a few. It should only be a few minutes. I can drive you home after?" Ashlyn offered.

Thankfully, she expected to still be able to run lessons and rentals wirelessly for the next couple days. She texted her employees this morning and let the instructors know they were still on. Everyone else had off until further notice.

"Sounds good." Ali replied, knowing today was her and her friends last day.

She figured she would wait it out a bit and decide whether or not to stay the extra days. She figured she would see how Ashlyn handled the rest of the day, knowing she still figured it was their last one together.

...

"Okay, that sounds good. You have my number and anyone here should be able to help while I'm gone." Ashlyn explained to the contractor as they made their way up from the basement.

They shook hands and he went out to his truck to get started. Ashlyn looked relieved as she followed out the side doors and to where Jessie and two other employees are doing some inventory.

She's out there for a few minutes as Ali peruses the store- making a mental note to come here next time she needs a new suit or cover-up. Maybe one day, even a wetsuit.

She finds herself by the side door looking at watches in the case when she hears Ashlyn and Jessie talking. She thinks to move away but something keeps her there. Maybe it’s the fact they are talking about her.

"Sooo..." Jessie starts, cheekily. "Same girl as last night?"

Ali can hear in Jessie's voice that she already knows the answer. At first Ali wonders if it’s jealous sparking this girl's attention, but she gives her the benefit of the doubt.

"She is." Ashlyn responds plainly.

"Hmmm." Jessie muses.

"What?" Ashlyn chuckles.

"Oh nothing." Jessie teases but Ashlyn gives her a glare. "Except she's _gorgeous_ , Ash." Jessie points out needlessly.

Ashlyn doesn't respond with words so Ali's not sure what her reaction is but she gets a good idea when she hears the other girl's reaction.

"Oh my gosh!" Jessie sounds like she just cracked an impossible code. "You're falling for her!"

"Jess!!" Ashlyn chuckles as her cheeks flush. The nervousness obvious in her voice.

"I won't tell anyone." Jessie adds, more quietly this time. "But its pretty damn obvious." She mumbles but so Ashlyn could hear it and walks away with a smile.

And right then Ali made up her mind- she was going to stay the extra days.

...


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from vacation (damn) and back to this story (yay). Warning for a hint of smut here.
> 
> And please disregard any spelling/grammatical mistakes- I have a vacation hangover (and a real hangover) so go easy on me :)

_"I know its your last night and its totally rude for me to even ask but... I have to. I can't let this slip past." Ashlyn said when they pulled up to Ali's house. "Is there any way I can see you before you leave tomorrow?"_

_"How about this..." Ali started._

_Ashlyn turned to face her with a quizzical glance._

_"I need to hang with them tonight. Its our last night and I've kind of been ditching... But tomorrow... will you meet me for coffee if I stay another day?" She asked sweetly, preparing to gauge Ashlyn's reaction._

_Ashlyn stared at her for a moment. The notion of Ali staying longer was unbelievable but in the best way possible. She wasn't sure how to react._

_"Yes, I... Yea! That sounds..." Ashlyn was having trouble trying form a sentence and decided to stop and give her brain a second to catch up with her mouth. "Yes, that sounds good. Call me tomorrow?"_

...

"So... is this just a summer fling or..." Steph inquired, knowing the answer already.

"I don't know." Ali shrugged. "It feels like more." 

"It seems like more." Erin added, echoing Steph's assumption.

"Am I being totally ridiculous here?" Ali asked. "Staying longer to see if this could really be something..."

"Had you asked me a few days ago- I would have said yes. But, I don't know, I'm inclined to think maybe its not so ridiculous anymore. There's obviously something there." Erin reasoned.

"Maybe its worth finding out." Steph added and took another sip of her margarita. 

They left it at that.

Ali had some thinking to do. She only lived two hours away- it didn't seem totally crazy to her. Though she was pretty sure her brain was clouded by her feelings for Ashlyn.

...

Ashlyn nervously waited at the coffee shop for Ali to arrive.

She likened her nerves to the only thing she could think of- first-date-jitters. That's what it felt like, or what she assumed it felt like since she technically never had them before.

...

Ali was a little behind schedule as she drove to the coffee shop once her friends left.

"What am I doing?" She asked herself. 

Why did she stay? Why is she giving this a shot? She lives two hours away and she can't trust this girl, so what's the point?

She thought about heading back to the house, packing her stuff, and telling Ashlyn she couldn't make it. She thought about just going home. She thought about ditching completely.

But then she found herself parked in front of the coffee shop. And soon found herself walking in through the side door.

She finally spotted Ashlyn, she was nervously wiggling her foot as she stared out the window, checking the front door every so often and looking disappointed every time. 

All of Ali's worries seemed to wash away and a smile over-took her face. She took a deep breath and one more admiring gaze at Ashlyn, who was wearing a tight black hoodie and gray, mid-thigh board shorts, before heading over.

"Hey you." Ali let her presence be known as she walked up, not letting on she was watching for a moment.

"Hey- hi!" Ashlyn exclaimed as she turned around, relieved to see Ali didn't change her mind and run.

She quickly got up to give Ali a hug and, in the process, knocked over half of the coffee she ordered for her.

"Shit!" Ashlyn said from within the hug as the black liquid dripped on the floor.

Ali just chuckled and hugged her tight but briefly.

"I'll get you another." Ashlyn grabbed the cup. "Its kind of cold anyway." She reasoned.

"Sorry, I'm a little late." Ali offered.

"Oh... no, that's fine." Ash back-pedaled, not initially realizing how her comment must have come across. "You're perfect." She said with a bright, sincere smile as she headed to the counter to order another.

...

Coffee turned into hours of talking. Which turned into lunch. Which then turned into making plans for dinner.

Ashlyn had a sunset surf planned with Kelley but after that she was free for the night.

"How about this..." Ashlyn started, she had their night pictured in her head already. "I'll be home by 8:00. Come over. We'll make dinner, hang on the patio, and just relax. Sound good?"

She sounded nervous and Ali thought it was cute. Ali bit her lip and nodded up-and-down with a smile.

...

Ashlyn had just gotten out of the shower and was putting together some snacks when her doorbell rang. 

As she walked to the door, Kelley's words of wisdom from their surf-sesh echoed in her head. _This is your second chance, Ash. People don't normally get second chances so you better make it perfect._

"No pressure or anything." She mumbled to herself right before she opened the door.

...

Ali watched as Ashlyn slid a wine glass across the counter and followed it with another.

"Red or white?" She asked.

"MmmRed." Ali replied in her famous mumble which made Ashlyn smile internally each and every time.

Ashlyn grabbed a bottle from the wine-rack built into the kitchen island. She pulled a corkscrew from the drawer and opened it with ease- like she had mastered the craft of doing so.

She wiped the top with a cloth napkin and poured Ali's glass first.

Ali watched her twist the bottle at the end and move onto her own glass. She hummed and slowly took a sip of her wine as she was slightly impressed and certainly surprised with what she was seeing.

"What?" Ashlyn asked with a skeptical grin.

"Didn't take you for a wine-buff." Ali smiled, certainly glad they had this in common.

"There's a lot about me you still don't know." Ashlyn winked and quickly turned to bring the snacks over.

Ali nodded at that. It was true. But she definitely wanted to find out.

...

Ashlyn prepared some chicken and shrimp for the grill and Ali made the salad. They talk and made jokes and felt comfortable with each other so easily.

Conversation continued as they took it outside and Ashlyn grilled their dinner. Ali added some vegetables to the grill too and showed Ashlyn her grilling skills too.

Ashlyn ran inside to get more BBQ sauce and noticed their wine glasses still on the island, only half-drank and completely forgotten about. They were having so much fun they didn't even notice.

She brought them back out and placed both on the patio table for now, just in case they changed their minds in a few.

...

"Well that was delicious!" Ali beamed.

"It was." Ashlyn agreed and grabbed her plate with Ali's to bring them inside.

Ali offered to do the dishes but Ashlyn refused her with a smile.

"I'm just going to rinse them and do them later. We should go for a walk on the beach before the tide comes up." She said as she hurried into the house.

...

"How do you get up and go to work everyday here?" Ali asked. "I would be at the beach all the time."

Ashlyn shrugged.

"The ocean is what gets me up every morning. I go for a surf or a run on the beach every morning. But yea... living by the beach was distracting when I first moved here. I probably could sit here all day if I didn't have the shop." Ashlyn explained.

"And the shack." Ali added.

"Well, yea. But that I just do to help Whit's parents when they're short-staffed." Ashlyn reasoned. "They're like my second family so I help when I can... and its fun." She smiled.

Ali thought that was pretty nice of her. And it must mean she does pretty well at the surf shop. Judging by her house and the shop itself, she must.

"They're on a cruise right now so I've been helping a bit more often this past week and next too." Ashlyn added.

"Where did you live before here?" Ali asked, noting Ashlyn said she moved here, earlier.

"Tampa." Ashlyn made disgusted face but explained herself when Ali gave her a look. "No good waves."

"I was going to say- Tampa's not sooo bad." Ali laughed. 

"Try surfing there." Ashlyn joked.

"Maybe I will... since I LIVE there." Ali feigned offense and watched as Ashlyn stopped laughing, a guilty smile now plastered to her face.

"Whoops." Ashlyn chuckled and pretended to back-pedal. "Great town, that Tampa." 

"Whateverrr." Ali rolled her eyes and let a smile creep in. She loved their back-and-forth banter and Tampa was wearing on her lately too so she could commiserate. 

Ashlyn explained how her Dad lived there still and she often drove out to visit and vise versa. How her mom lived in Maryland and she hadn't seen her in a while but spoke to her often. How her brother moved to Miami and was living the good life.

Ali explained her family locations too. Also taking note they each had a brother, divorced parents, and a close extended family.

They fell into a comfortable silence after a moment and Ashlyn leaned back on her elbows to look at the stars.

" I was in love once, you know." Ashlyn offered, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ali waits for her to continue, sensing the story doesn't have a fairy-tale ending.

"Looking back- she wasn't a very nice person. But at the time- I loved her, I couldn't help it. And then... she broke my heart pretty badly. I was so in love that it completely ruined me." Ashlyn said regretfully, bot not upset. 

Ali could tell she was explaining, rather than fishing for sympathy or complaining.

"It took me a long time to recover. It progressed from hurt to anger to depression and cycled over and over again. And when I finally got over it... I wanted to make sure no one got close enough to hurt me like that again. So, I never let girls get close enough to leave an impression. I didn't let them in." Ashlyn explained.

Ali nodded along. She understood what it was like to have her heart broken. 

"It was working great for me too." Ashlyn continued. "No strings attached. No commitment. I mean, yea, I gained a reputation... but to me, that seemed better than falling for someone again."

Ali raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed a little dramatic. Thankfully, it was too dark for Ashlyn to see... maybe she wouldn't have gone on if she did...

"And then I met you." Ashlyn supplied, slowly raising her eyes to meet Ali's, which had just darted up. "And I felt something."

Ali could see the sincerity in her expression. She couldn't think of words to respond but Ashlyn went on anyway.

"I know you're different. I don't know how and I don''t know why but I feel it. And no matter what happens in the end- I want you know I'm really glad you gave me another chance. I'm really glad you chased me in the rain the other night. And I'm really glad you're here right now."

Ashlyn could have gone on for a while but she was interrupted by Ali's lips crashing into hers. 

...

"We should take this inside." Ali suggested huskily when things started to heat up. 

Ashlyn's confession did something to her. It meant something. And now she found herself half-way on top of her, pressing for more.

She looked down the beach toward Ashlyn's house and then back to the blonde.

"Sure." Ashlyn replied slowly, trying to gauge the situation.

The way Ali said it sounded like she wanted to pick-up where they left off when they got back... but Ashlyn didn't dare assume anything.

...

Ashlyn let Ali lead the way when they got back to the house. She let Ali pull her to the living room, push her onto the couch and climb on top of her.

They picked up where they left off without skipping a beat.

Ashlyn made sure to take it slow and let Ali lead as much as she could but the temptation was surely present. She didn't want to pressure Ali at all, quite the opposite of situations with girls in the past.

Ali wanted this. She had wanted it for a long time, but right now, she **really** wanted this.

The longer it went on, the more she ground her hips into Ashlyn's, the deeper her kisses became, the more she let her hands wander.

The couch wasn't the most conducive place for this kind of activity. Ali's knee got stuck between the cushions. Ashlyn almost knocked over the lamp. Ali nearly fell off when she leaned back... but Ashlyn caught her. 

Ali smiled into Ashlyn's lips for that one- she didn't really mind.

"Is it okay if we take this to my room?" Ashlyn asked. It was sweet and innocent and completely sincere. 

"Yea." Ali whispered, her eyes locked on Ashlyn's.

There was no stopping herself now. If Ashlyn totally wrote her off tomorrow- she would just have to live with it.

Ashlyn stared at her for a long time- completely lost in the gaze until she felt the corners of her mouth pull up into an involuntarily toothy-grin.

She stood with one arm wrapped around Ali's waist and walked them down the hall and into her room. She walked them to the edge of the bed and leaned to slowly lay Ali on it, kissing her passionately the whole way down.

Ali crawled backward once she was on the bed, further up and pulled Ashlyn with her until Ashlyn's legs were tangled with her own.

Ashlyn reached to pull Ali's shirt off and tossed it on the bed next to them as Ali reached for the bottom of Ashlyn's t-shirt to do the same.

Ali dropped the tee on her own shirt and turned back to Ashlyn who was now looking at her intently, something was different in her eyes. Ali leaned up slowly to capture her lips in a slow kiss. 

"I don't want to pressure you." Ashlyn said quietly between kisses.

"You're not." Ali assured. 

"But I'm afraid I will... so..." Ashlyn placed her own hands in Ali's, palms facing up. "These are yours to use tonight." 

Ali's eyes darted to Ashlyn's to check if she was serious. She was met with pleading, almost hesitant, hazel eyes. Ashlyn was giving Ali full control of the situation.

"Okay." Ali nodded slowly and placed Ashlyn's hands on her ribs, right under her breasts, before reaching up with her own to pull Ashlyn into a deep, meaningful kiss.

...

Ashlyn's thumbs rubbed soft patterns on Ali's skin as they continued to make out, slowly grinding against each other as Ali pulled Ashlyn's hips into her.

The added pressure turned her on even more and she quickly grabbed Ashlyn's one hand to move it to her still bra-clad breast.

She sat up slightly while pulling Ashlyn's other hand around back, to the clasp of her bra.

"You get the idea." She whispered into Ashlyn's lips with a smile and immediately felt her unhook it before Ali guided the same hand to her other, now bare, breast.

Ali sucked in a breath when Ashlyn began rubbing the backs of her knuckles across her nipple.

Ashlyn gently removed Ali's bra with the other hand and then placed her hand exactly where Ali directed it before, now without lace between their skin.

With Ashlyn rhythmically rubbing on her nipples, grinding against her core and kissing her neck, Ali's not sure how much longer she can keep the control. She's already feeling herself getting lost and decides to surrender Ashlyn's hands back to her.

"You can have these back." Ali mumbles as she covers Ashlyn's hands with her own, guiding them to squeeze her breasts a bit.

She then guides them down her ribs, her stomach and lets go at her navel, encouraging Ashlyn to continue with a couple nods and a lip-biting smile.

Ashlyn doesn't say anything and doesn't move her hands any further. She just looks at them and pauses, feeling Ali's grin fade against her lips.

Ali pulls back enough to look her in the eye.

"Hey." She coaxes and receives Ashlyn's full attention. "I want this- I promise." 

"I know." Ashlyn gives her a small smile and then quietly... "Its not that."

Ali leans back a bit further so she can study Ashlyn's expression. Its unreadable, so she's forced to wait for Ashlyn to continue with what she is trying to say.

Ashlyn's eyes slowly rise to meet hers and Ali sees what's causing her to hesitate, a second before Ashlyn says it out loud...

"I'm nervous." Ashlyn admits honestly. 

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone's getting caught up! 
> 
> Speaking of catching up. After I finish this story (two more chapters likely) which one do you want me to work on next? Whichever has the most votes- I'll finish it out before updating another- so choose wisely. 
> 
> Ok... GO!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this :) Let me know what you think, please!
> 
> For the purpose of this story- Ashlyn is, for some reason, left-handed.

Ali wakes with the sheets pulled all the way to her chin and a slight breeze ghosting through her messy hair.

She yawns and curls up tighter as she pulls the sheets closer and buries her head half-way under the pillow.

It takes her a moment to remember where she is and what happened last night. She thinks back on it for a while and then fights an uncontrollable smile before closing her eyes and willing herself back to sleep.

...

"You do that often, don't you?" Ashlyn asks when Ali rolls over to face her and starts to stir.

"Mmmwhat?" Ali mumbles, sleep heavy in her voice.

"Wake up. Snuggle up. Wake up again." Ashlyn explains.

She's laying on her stomach, facing Ali, her arms folded under her head as a pillow while she waits for Ali to open her eyes.

She's been awake for a while now- not daring to move or wake the girl next to her- just memorizing the lines of Ali's back- her spine, shoulder blades, ribs- from under the sheet and waiting for her to come to. 

And now, with Ali facing her- her eyes still closed, Ashlyn still can't get over her beauty.

Ali must have felt Ashlyn's eyes on her because a smile was now tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Ashlyn invisibly returned the smile and leaned in, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to Ali's lips. She pulled back in time to watch Ali's eyes flutter open slowly and was met with deep, beautiful, brown eyes.

Ali chooses not to answer the question and gives Ashlyn a cute, but still sleepy, smile instead.

"Good morning." She says sweetly as she pulls the sheets back around herself to cover up a bit.

"Oh..." Ashlyn teases smugly. " _Now_ she's shy."

_"I never get nervous." Ashlyn followed up her initial admission._

_Ali pulled back a little more and looked concerned. Ashlyn was quick to rectify._

_"No, its a good nervous." She explained. "I don't want to mess it up."_

_"You won't mess it up." Ali assured with a appreciative smile._

_Ashlyn's only response was an unconvinced smile and a gulp._

_Ali reached for Ashlyn's left hand and laced their fingers together._

_"Here. I'll take one." Ali said._

_"I'm left-handed. I kind of need that one more." Ashlyn pointed out with a soft chuckle._

_Ali bit her bottom lip and then gave her a nose-crinkling but still seductive smile._

_"Not until I'm done with it." Ali replied as she slightly shook her head side-to-side._

_Ashlyn gave a confused look until Ali's face turned serious. Full of intent. And maybe something else._

_And then Ashlyn's eyes went wide as Ali slid both of their hands under the waistband of her pants._

...

"Me? Shy?" Ali grins guiltily. "Neverrrrr."

"I know. Who would have thought?" Ashlyn replies

She ribs Ali lightly and Ali fends off her hands and buries her head under the pillow a bit until Ashlyn relents.

When Ali slowly pulls out from under the pillow she's met with a focused gaze, smiling hazel eyes, and a soft, caressing palm to her side.

"Coffee in bed?" Ashlyn asks after they share a quiet moment.

"Sounds good." Ali nods.

Ashlyn sits up and swings her feet off the bed and then leans back to stretch. Wearing only a gray t-shirt and underwear. Ali can't help but grin and moves close to her- grabbing Ash by the tail of the shirt and gently pulling her back to Ali's lips.

"Minus the coffee." Ali mumbles against her.

...

"Okay. Now I _actually_ need coffee." Ali teases an hour or so later.

"I'll make some." Ashlyn gets up quickly and hurries toward the kitchen so Ali can't pull her back this time.

"Black with-"

"One sugar." Ashlyn finished her request with a smirk. "I remember." 

When Ashlyn is out of sight, Ali stretches out on the bed. She sighs and smiles and revels in the past 24 hours. It definitely felt different.

Ash doesn't know what it is- but she can't stop smiling. Last night, she didn't know Ali had it in her but she was glad to find out she does. 

...

Ashlyn offers to take Ali for a surf once they're done with coffee and breakfast in bed. After all, the first time they hung out was because of surfing. That's what brought them together, no matter what Ashlyn's initial intentions were.

"I'll grab you a board and a wetsuit." Ashlyn says and heads to the stairs to her loft.

It's her sanctuary, really. Her escape. And she doesn't really share it with many people. Kelley and Whit are exceptions, sometimes, and even they took a while to get up there.

"Actually..." Ashlyn paused on the first step and walked back to the room. "Want to pick your own?" She asked. 

"Uhh... sure." Ali agreed and very slowly slipped out of bed, conscious of just how naked she was.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes with a smile and closed the door half-way to let her get dressed.

Ali is out soon after and following Ashlyn up the repurposed wood, spiral staircase. She smiles when they finally get to the top. The room is 100% out of an interior design magazine. Or a surfing magazine. Or both.

The back wall is lined with at least 15 boards. Mostly short but a couple longboards too. There is a station for waxing, replacing fins, leashes, etc. There is a rack of wetsuits too. Mostly Ashlyn's size in black, dark gray, navy blue, etc and then a few other sizes too, all in black. The floor is sealed concrete and has an off-white shag rug across it, a coffee table and palette couch on top. The light fixtures are made from driftwood and it feels homey- like a lot of love was put into it.

"Its my business, but its still my passion." Ashlyn explained needlessly.

There are pictures on the wall. A little blond-haired kid on a huge surfboard. The same blondie riding a skateboard while holding a man's hand in another picture. The same man riding a longboard in an older picture next to it.

"Is this you?" Ali asked, already knowing the answer. She could tell by that dimple.

"It is." Ashlyn responded from behind Ali, she was watching her take it all in.

"So cute." Ali replied distractedly.

"And that..." Ashlyn pointed to the man in both pictures. "Is my dad."

"That's one cool dad." Ali mused.

"He's the best." Ashlyn nodded. "Taught me everything I know."

...

"I should tell you- this is my secret spot." Ashlyn said as she pulled up onto the sand and down a ways.

"I thought the loft was your secret spot." Ali teased.

"This is my secret **surfing** spot." Ashlyn corrected with a smile. "I've never taken anyone here. Not one person."

Ali felt special about being the only one who knew but she kept her excitement to a minimum. She wanted to play it cool and not get too caught up in whatever was going on here.

...

Once they hit the water, Ashlyn was in her zone, this being her usual morning routine.

She doesn't go to the edge of the break like she normally does though. She stays on the smaller side, where the waves are more manageable for a beginner like Ali. She wants her to be safe and comfortable too.

She takes a bunch of waves with relative ease and helps Ali with tips and tricks in between.

Ali takes in a few waves but is still apprehensive on the board. Not to mention, she likes to watch too. She knows nothing about surfing, but she's pretty sure Ashlyn's damn good.

They keep it short, not wanting to "wear out the waves" according to Ashlyn's sweet-spot superstition, and head back to the Jeep after about an hour.

Ash looked at her phone for a moment before starting the car and smiled, though she tried to keep it in check.

When she noticed Ali saw her, she explained.

"My friend, Aaron, is having a last-minute dinner party tonight with the whole crew. He told me my absence would be unacceptable." She laughs.

Ali smiles along but doesn't say anything. She can't help to feel disappointed. She was hoping to spend more time with Ashlyn, seeing how she stayed the extra days and all. But she also knows she has no right to Ashlyn's time.

"So... are you free for dinner tonight?" Ashlyn mumbles shyly and looks over with a hopeful grin.

...

"She got to hang in the loft?" Kelley asked as they unloaded some supplies at the shop. "Are you sharing a little bit of your heart now, Ash?"

She's seen such a swift change in Ashlyn's behavior and her ways in such a short period of time. And it makes her proud to see her slowly falling back to herself. She's missed the old Ashlyn for a while now. 

"Yep." Ashlyn replies easily. 

"And I invited her to dinner tonight..." Ashlyn added. And then shyly, as she scuffs her foot nervously on the ground. "If you guys could, you know, make sure she feels welcome and all, that'd be nice."

Whit takes in a breath, deciding not to point out how cute that question is, and gives her a wide smile. She knows Ash has it bad. She's pretty sure Ash knows it too.

"Dinner dates and surfing secrets." Kelley winks at Whit. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're falling for this girl."

Ashlyn doesn't even deny it anymore... and Kelley pats herself on the back, knowing this all along.

"Yea..." Whit adds. "Next you'll be bringing her to your secret surfing spot." 

Ashlyn can't hide her smile for that one.

...

"Whatever you want to wear." Ali repeats Ashlyn's words as she tries on forty outfits. "That's not vague or anything."

She settles on tight, aqua-blue, cropped pants with a flowy, black top. She battles between heels and wedges for a while before finally deciding on black sandals with a low heel.

Make-up and hair done. Perfume sprayed. Clutch in her hand. She was ready to go.

The doorbell rang not a minute later.

...

Ashlyn's not sure why this is progressing so fast. She feels a bit out of control with her emotions here. What she feels for Ali is indescribable. Beyond words. And she's not willing to lose a night of hanging out with her.

She wiped her palms on her shirt as she walked to the door. This was proving to be a bigger deal than she intended, judging by her nerves. 

_What if my friends don't like her? What Ali doesn't feel comfortable there? What if they think she's too good for me?_ Ash let wild thoughts run through her head over and over again.

But the second Ali opened the door, every single thought dropped from her brain. And there was only just one... _Who cares what anyone else thinks._

...

"Hey man!" Ashlyn beams when a tall, handsome guy with brown hair and green eyes answers the door. He's got that surfer look to him too and Ali assumes that is how they know each other.

"What's up, buddy?!" He smiles and pulls her in for a tight hug.

"Aaron, this is Ali. Ali, this is Aaron." Ashlyn introduces and they shake hands. 

Aaron is sure to get a good look at the brunette in front of him. There is no denying her beauty. But he quickly catches Ashlyn's raised eyebrow and gives her a wink in return.

"Come on in, girls." He says and leads them to the living room, open to the back patio with a pool and nice ocean view. "What can I get you to drink?"

"I will take whatever that is." Ali nods to an electric blue cocktail in one guy's hand. 

"Me too." Ashlyn adds with the same impressed tone as Ali.

"Coming up." Aaron claps and heads to the kitchen, but not without giving Ashlyn an approving head-nod and the thumbs up while Ali's eyes aren't on them.

...

Its not long before Ali is falling easily into conversation with a few of Ash's friends. They're all super friendly and most of them are glad she's not just messing around with this one- because she's great.

Kelley and Whit don't even need to try and make her feel welcome, she seemed to fit right in.

And Ashlyn has hardly left her side all night. She sticks close, not because she feels she needs to (with every head that turns at that laugh, that smile, those eyes) but because she wants to.

She knows she _really_ likes this girl, but she's starting to think she might love her.

...

"She's welcome back anytime!" Nadia, Aaron's girlfriend, says to Ash as she hugs Ali at the door.

"I'll keep that in mind." Ashlyn muses and Nadia gives her a fake-warning glare.

"It was so nice to meet you, Ali. Hope to see you again soon." Nadia adds as she lets go to hug her friend. "Ash, always a pleasure."

Ashlyn refrains from responding with her usual "that's what all the girls say" joke and Aaron gives her a teasing look, knowing she can't do anything about it.

They wait for Kelley and Whit to say their goodbyes to everyone and all four head to Ashlyn's Jeep.

...

Ashlyn drops them off, one-by-one, Ali being last.

"Want to actually come in this time?" Ali asked suggestively, referring to the other time Ashlyn dropped her off when she tried to coax Ashlyn into the house.

"Sure." Ashlyn accepted and put the car into park.

...

"I think you need to catch up." Ali opened a bottle of beer and handed it to her, now off-the-clock, DD.

"Guess so." Ashlyn replied and took a sip.

"I had fun tonight. Your friends are so nice." Ali said as she slowly moved closer, now standing between Ashlyn's knees as she sat on a bar stool.

"I really liked hanging out with you, and with them, together." Ashlyn replied in the same tone and took another sip, right in front of Ali.

"Me too." Ali replied and took the bottle from Ashlyn's hand. "But right now, I just want to hang out with you." 

She followed her statement immediately with a kiss. It pulled Ashlyn in and kept them close together. 

They didn't break for a while but when they did, Ashlyn took another, long sip of her beer. She then pulled Ali in by her belt loop.

"Ash..." Ali started shyly.

"Yea?" Ashlyn hummed and leaned back slightly so her eyes could meet Ali's. She was concerned Ali wanted to slow it down a bit.

"Don't be nervous tonight." Ali whispered in her ear.

That was all Ashlyn needed. She had Ali up in her arms in a second. Beer long forgotten about.

"Where's you room?" Ashlyn breathed out huskily.

"Upstairs." Ali replies between kisses, her mouth pressed against Ashlyn's. "Second door on the left."

...

It's Ali who wakes up first this time. And she can't help but take a good look at the blonde sleeping next to her. She's so peaceful and content and it even looks like she has a smile on her face.

Ali lets her sleep though, for a while, and goes to make the coffee this time.

She comes back a bit later and finds Ashlyn in the same position- sheets to her waist and tangled through her legs, arms folded above her head and under the pillow and her head buried under one arm.

Ali doesn't want to wake her, but at the same time- she does. She kneels next to the bed and puts the coffee cup down on the nightstand, a little louder than usual. It does the trick as Ashlyn scrunches up her nose and rubs her face on her bicep.

"Morning." Ali whispers softly.

"What time is it?" Ashlyn asks without opening her eyes.

"11:00." Ali replies with a guilty smile that goes unseen.

Ashlyn opens her eyes at that, slowly though.

"I can't believe I slept that late." Ashlyn says groggily.

"Really..." Ali scoffs with a teasing grin. "Because we pretty much jussssst went to sleep a couple hours ago."

"True." Ashlyn nodded with a growing smile as she thinks back on the night. "How's your head?" She giggles.

"The doctors said I'll survive." Ali teased and ghosted fingers over the bump at her hairline.

Its partially her doing since she did ask Ashlyn to throw nerves to the wind last night. And, sure enough, Ashlyn listened. And Ali certainly had no complaints.

"Sorry about that." Ashlyn laughed softly with a grin. She wasn't really that sorry.

"It was well worth it." Ali assured with a sweet smile.

Ali couldn't help what she felt when Ashlyn's sleepy eyes meet her own. She felt something in that moment- there was something there and she's sure its stronger than anything else she's ever felt.

...

They hang out that morning and make plans for later as Ash has to do some stuff at the shop during the day. She thinks to cancel but decides against it- seeing as she's already losing money with the water main break. She knows she can't mess around. But its tempting.

And Ash has a shit-eating grin on her face all day while she works and helps at the shop.

...

"So tomorrow is really your last night, huh?" Ash asks later that night as they sit on swings in the park.

They made a little pit-stop while walking from the restaurant they had dinner at to their next stop, a cute, little margarita and tequila bar on the bay.

"It is." Ali offers her a sad smile as they slowly swing back-and-forth.

She wants to say she wishes she could stay longer. That she wants to see if this could be for real. But she doesn't say a word- she doesn't want to assume its something more than it is.

Ash wants to ask if she'll be coming back to her parents' beach house before the summer ends. And if not, she wants to invite Ali to come back and stay at her house for a weekend. But she doesn't want to press the matter and instead leaves it be.

"I wish it wasn't." Ashlyn added sadly.

"Me too." Ali replied and they shared a moment before Ashlyn suggested they move on.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breaking News: my World Cup tickets arrived in the mail today!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Updated via my phone so be nice :) 
> 
> I'll do an epilogue down the road.

_Ali grabbing her by the back of the neck and pressing her forehead to Ashlyn's collarbone. Ali's heels digging into the small of Ashlyn's back as she arches her own and grips tighter. Ali calling her name. Again and again and again._

Ashlyn comes to a halt mid-run. She now realizes she is all out sprinting to clear these thoughts from her mind. And its still not working.

Ali left a week ago, but Ashlyn still can't get the girl off her mind. She feels she's going crazy. Literally all she can think about is Ali.

Its a tease each time Ashlyn passes Ali's parents' beach house on her way to work. Especially now that another family is staying there for the week. It tricks her heart every time when she sees someone outside.

It just makes Ash's heart ache that much more.

 

_"It's your last night. You decide." Ashlyn nudges Ali as they sit on the beach Ali's last day._

_"Something fun?" Ali suggests vaguely._

_Ashlyn just gives her a look and then breaks into a smile._

_"How about dinner and then dancing?" Ali firms it up a bit._

_"Yea! Let's do that." Ashlyn agrees and stands up before lending a hand to pull Ali to her feet._

_When they're face-to-face and their eyes meet, Ashlyn leans in and gives Ali a sweet, tender kiss. She slowly pulls back and catches Ali with her eyes closed for a second before she opens them again._

_They hold each other's gaze for a moment before Ali breaks into a smile and pulls Ashlyn in for a hug. She holds her tight for a second and then lets go so they can walk back to the house._

_Ashlyn knows that hug means more than an entire night with any other girl._

_..._

_They take a break from dancing and order another round of drinks. Ashlyn hands Ali's to her and kisses her on the cheek as she does so._

_Ali leans her back to the bar and Ashlyn can't help but put her arm around Ali's shoulders._

_And Ali can't help but feel something is different today than it was a couple days ago. She likes having Ashlyn by her side, having all her attention. She wants more but she's not sure how to go about doing that._

_..._

_They end up finding a table on the terrace and sitting for a while. Just talking, asking questions, flirting back and forth._

_"Can I ask you a question?" Ash asks._

_"Sure." Ali nods, a little nervous for what she might ask._

_"That first night we went out, when you were heading toward the exit because you 'thought you saw someone you knew'... you were leaving, weren't you?" Ashlyn asked in an innocent tone._

_Ali took a second to think about her answer. She had mostly forgotten about that incident. Everything since then had erased it from her mind._

_"If I'm being honest... yes." Ali nodded up-and-down._

_"Hmm..." Ashlyn looked down to her lap. She knew that was the answer without even asking. "Are you glad you stayed?" She asked, same innocent tone._

_"I am." Ali looked her straight in the eye._

_"Okay. Good." Ashlyn gave her a small smile._

_She seemed almost timid and Ali thought it was adorable. She reached for her hand and held it in her own._

_"Actually, I kinda want to leave now." Ali said softly. "Will you come with me this time?"_

_Ali eyes were dark and there was a smirk on her face. How could Ashlyn say no to that?_

_..._

_Ashlyn's head is resting on Ali's stomach with Ali's legs bent up under Ashlyn's arms. Ali absently plays with Ashlyn's hair and gives her light scratching strokes on the back of her neck. Ashlyn lightly thumbs the ridge of Ali's ribs as they both try to bring their breathing back to normal._

_"I'm going to miss that." Ali mumbled, her head still tilted back._

_"Me too." Ashlyn replied after a moment._

_She didn't want to miss it. She wanted to have this over and over and over again. But she knew Ali was leaving tomorrow morning. And Ali's statement made it seem this was the last time._

_Ashlyn wasn't ready to let go. She started kissing and licking up Ali's body. Through the valley of her breasts, along her sternum and collarbone. Her neck, jaw and strongly, passionately ending at her lips. Taking them in a searing kiss._

_She swears she feels Ali gasp._

_"Hey." Ali says between kisses. "Hey." She puts a hand to Ashlyn's chest and looks her in the eyes._

_Ashlyn almost pulls back but Ali continues before she can._

_"Let's take it to your room this time." She adds slyly and leans up on her elbows to give Ashlyn a reeling kiss._

_And with that, Ashlyn picks her up off the living room floor and refrains from making a comment about how good Ali looked laying on her white, shag carpet._

And now Ashlyn is trying to catch her breath for another reason. She should have known running her heart out wasn't going to make the memories go away. She couldn't shake them if she tried. And try she did. She tried everything. She knew she had it bad.

_..._

_"I guess this is goodbye, for now..." Ali said softly when Ashlyn drove her home the morning after._

_Ashlyn was almost too caught up in her eyes to answer._

_"...Yea. I guess so." She said, though her heart was telling her to invite Ali to visit anytime, to come stay with her, continue this thing they had and see where it goes._

_But she didn't do it. Her head was telling her it was over._

_And Ali waited for her to ask but she never did. And she started to think it was over too._

_"I'll be back next Summer." Ali offered quickly, trying to break the silence._

_"Oh... yea, okay..." Ashlyn tried to hide how much that stung. That was it. Ali was letting it end. "You should look me up when you're back."_

_Ashlyn cringed at how lame that sounded. At how awkward this goodbye was turning out. Nothing had been awkward with them before._

_"Uh, yea..." Ali nodded with a half-smile. "...I'll do that." She added unconvincingly._

_Ashlyn moved in for a hug and they held on for a bit longer than normal. When she pulled back, she brushed the hair from Ali's face and tucked it behind her ear._

_"Goodbye, Alex." She said with a sad smile and kissed her forehead._

_"Bye, Ash." Ali replied back as Ashlyn started toward her car._

_She struggled with the lump forming in her throat. Struggled to keep it together for at least another minute until she was out of the driveway._

_"Wait..." Ali called from behind her._

_Ashlyn turned around just in time to catch a running Ali as she crashed their lips together._

_They pull apart before it can get heated because Ali really does need to get on the road and Ashlyn needs to re-open the shop._

_Ali leans their foreheads together, knowing that was their one, last kiss._

_"I'll see you next year." Ali whispers hopefully and gives her another, slow and tender kiss before pulling away for good this time._

_Ashlyn numbly watches her walk to the house. Turning at the door to give a small wave before closing it behind her._

...

"Am I crazy?" Ali asked Erin over coffee a few days after she got back.

"Normally I would have said yes. But... no, I don't think you're crazy in this." Erin supplies.

Erin has seen how quiet Ali has been since she got home- like a piece of her was left behind when she left the beach.

"Al..." Erin started. "You know she's not going to wait a year."

"I know." Ali sighed. "I wish I had thought it out before I left."

...

"I can't today, Kell... I'm going to hit the Cove instead before work." Ashlyn made an excuse.

Kelley knew there was no arguing here. And she knew she wasn't going to get an invite to the Cove. It was Ashlyn's spot and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Ash, we haven't seen you in over a week." Kelley reasoned.

Ashlyn wasn't ready for another lecture. Her emotions were already heightened. She didn't want to break again.

"I gotta go, Kell. I'll call you later." She replied but they both knew she didn't plan on following through with that.

...

Ashlyn sat on the beach feeling sorry for herself. She texted Ali this morning, after pacing and debating with herself for twenty minutes, but received no response.

 _Maybe that was goodbye. Maybe I texted her too soon. Maybe she's mad I took too long to text her._ Ashlyn's brain was blaming it on all angles.

She had her board at her side as she stared out at the waves. She hadn't ridden one since the time her and Ali surfed. She couldn't get into it. She was too blank to even paddle out.

And then she hears the sound of someone walking behind her.

 _Great, now someone's taking my surf spot too._ She felt her heart drop. On top of the feeling of watching her love walk away, this was the last thing she needed.

And soon, someone in a wet suit sits down a few feet away from her. There is no salutation, no words. And it makes Ashlyn almost angry.

She slowly turns to tell this person to get out of here. To make an excuse why they can't surf here.

But when she turns to face them, there she is...

Ali.

In a black wet suit, looking out to the ocean. She's got a smile on her face that is growing with every passing second that Ashlyn blankly stares at her. Too stunned to form words.

And finally, Ali leans to the side toward Ashlyn, eyes still on the water, and pauses before saying softly...

"I couldn't wait a whole year."

...


End file.
